


Warm As The Morning Sun

by smallerluke



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Adoption, Adventures in Fatherhood, Angst with a Happy Ending, Dad AU, Explicit Sexual Content, Family Dynamics, Friends to Lovers, Love & Respect, M/M, Mutual Pining, Trans Male Character, Trans Reaper | Gabriel Reyes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-02
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2019-02-09 12:16:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 24,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12887673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smallerluke/pseuds/smallerluke
Summary: Sometimes the smallest touches mean the most.





	1. Chapter 1

_\- I think you got the blues, too -_

 

They call the place _Barracuda_. Neon paints the flaking walls, softening the edges of the bar. It’s not his usual haunt. He doesn’t care for the cramped bar or the 80’s music and he definitely isn’t a fan of their whiskey selection, but it’s Saturday night, and he wants to take the edge off the looming school year and a new batch of third graders.

Gabriel lingers on the sidewalk, pink light flashing over his skin, before he gathers his wits and shoulders through the door.

The place is almost empty. True to the bar’s name, Heart is playing too loudly. It smells like beer and he catches a whiff of perfume as he passes a couple at a billiards table. He’s out of place here, but that’s the point. He knows too many of his student’s parents, doesn’t want to risk bumping into them when he’s drunk.

That’s trouble easily avoided here.

He sits and orders a glass of wine. That request always gets him a look, so he amends his order to a whiskey, neat. He’s one sip into the glass when the door swings open and a body lands at the bar next to him.

Gabriel keeps his eyes trained ahead, but it’s hard to miss the smell of leather and smoke, the roughness of the stranger’s voice as he orders the same drink.

He feels eyes on him. Gabriel cocks a brow as he turns on his stool. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

Something about that voice has him turning away fast, eyes on his drink. Heat crawls up the back of his neck. Without thinking he rubs at it He can feel the guy watching him again, drags his eyes back as he takes another sip.

He’s forty at the most, with gray showing through blond hair at the temples. Definitely handsome, in a rough way; his nose looks like it’s been broken once or twice, and he’s wearing a few days worth of stubble.

Gabriel hasn’t seen him around before.

“You a scotch guy?” he asks.

Gabriel snorts, shakes his head. “Hell no. It’s the best they’ve got here.”

“Prefer rye?”

“It’s alright.”

“What’s your drink?”

“I like a nice merlot.”

“I can respect that.”

He finishes his drink. It burns the whole way down, but he already feels warmer. The stranger’s eyes linger on him, eyes focused, intense. He lifts his glass and takes a draw, his eyes flicking away.

There’s tension thick in the air. Gabriel isn’t sure what it is, but it feels electric on his skin.

The stranger straightens in his chair, turns toward him. “Can I buy you a drink?”

He nods. The music shifts from Heart to Cyndi Lauper as the man calls for another round. Gabriel watches his back as he leans over the bar. He’s broad shouldered, probably an athletic type. Gabriel finds himself imagining what the guy looks like without the leather jacket when he turns back to slide another scotch his way.

Their hands brush as Gabriel reaches for the drink. He doesn’t show a reaction, simply takes a sip and leans back, glancing at the billiards table. The couple arguing over pool aren’t paying attention, and neither is the guy on his phone in one of the booths.

“So.” Gabriel turns back. The stranger has one brow cocked, waiting. “You new to town?”

A nod is all the man offers as his gaze slides back toward his drink. He looks sad, Gabriel thinks, or tired. It’s hard to tell.

Maybe it’s the cheesy music that’s making him feel so bold. Maybe it’s the heat of the whiskey in his stomach. Maybe it’s just the fact that he’s been so busy he hasn’t even had time to _think_ about getting laid. Whatever it is, Gabriel chases the feeling, sets a hand on the man’s knee. “I don’t live far,” he says, “Could show you around.”

The stranger takes his time to finish his drink before he responds, voice deep and rough. “Hell of an offer.”

He waits outside. It’s a warm night, a little humid, and the cicadas and crickets are singing in the park down the street. He doesn’t have time to think twice about it or get self-conscious before the man joins him on the sidewalk and offers him a cigarette.

“Don’t smoke.”

“Okay if I do?”

“Sure.”

They walk shoulder to shoulder, the stranger quiet. Gabriel really does know this town, even if he’s only lived there a few years. Best coffee shop is down on the east side of main street, the grocery store is one block north, his favorite restaurant is down by the pier. As he talks, his thoughts remain scattered, his heart pounding in his ears. He can taste the tension between them as the stranger simply listens, hands busy with his cigarette.

He has nice hands. Strong. There’s a new-looking scar curving over his thumb.

When they reach the end of the main street, Gabriel shuts himself up. His house is around the corner and the stranger’s cigarette is just a stub. He flicks it into the street and breathes out the last of it.

“What’s your name?”

“Gabriel,” he says.

“Like the angel?”

He huffs a laugh. “Yeah. What’s yours?”

“Jack.”

It’s short and simple and it suits him. Gabriel twists away, facing down the street. He can see his house, the front door obscured by his car.

He doesn’t do this. It’s hard. It’s a small town, and he’s met enough assholes in the small community that _does_ exist. And maybe he’s an idiot who’s read too far into it, but he likes the intensity of the man’s eyes, likes the way he smells.

Jack steps into his space, bumping shoulders.

It’s unspoken. Gabriel relaxes, he must look like an open book. “Want to come inside?”

He dares to reach out and touch Jack’s hand, just slightly, just enough to feel the warmth of his skin and the ridge of that scar. For the first time, Jack smiles. It’s something soft and small and disappears too fast.

“Was hoping you’d ask.”

One of Jack’s hands slides over his waist as he unlocks the door. Gabriel fumbles with the keys, letting out a nervous laugh that’s cut off when surprisingly gentle hands take hold of his face. Jack kisses him. It’s smooth and careful; Gabriel can hardly breathe, let alone get the door unlocked. He gives up on the task to turn into Jack, winding his arms around his neck, letting himself be kissed. It’s a simple thing but he wants more, wants to get his hands all over the man’s body.

Jack lets him go so he can get the door open and they tumble inside, hands on each other, the kiss revving up fast. Gabriel tugs on Jack’s jacket, drags him down the hall. He’s glad the house is empty. When Jack’s teeth scrape along his throat he groans, pulls him tighter.

His collar is pulled open. Jack has one hand on his tie and the other under his shirt, fingers teasing at the edge of his waistband. He pulls back, heavy eyes flickering over Gabriel’s form. His voice is thick and heavy with want. “This is okay?”

“This is okay.” Gabriel leans in to kiss him, sliding their tongues together, open mouthed and messy. His head is spinning as Jack pushes against him, already hard and hot as a fire.

A pang of fear puts his arousal to a quick stop. He pulls away, puts a hand on Jack’s chest.

“Before we go further—” Gabriel’s throat goes dry. He pulls his eyes away from Jack’s concerned gaze, shifts in place. He’s aching and he wants to be touched, but he doesn’t like surprises, not where some things are considered. He elects to just spit it out. Easier that way. “I’m transgender.”

Jack simply blinks at him, eyes cloudy for a long moment before realization hits. “Oh,” is all he says.

Gabriel shifts against the wall. He wants Jack’s teeth back on his neck, wants to get his hands under his shirt. It’s almost painful. “That’s…not a problem?”

“No,” Jack breathes, shaking his head. “No. It’s not a problem.”

He can’t help but smile a little. “Bedroom’s this way. And if it’s alright…” He loops one arm around Jack’s back, spreading a hand out between his shoulders. He kisses Jack hard and fast, breaks away to mouth down the side of his neck. “I’d like to fuck you.”

“You can have me any way you want me, angel.”

-

He waits stretched out on his bed, his shirt open, his tie flung across the room, somewhere. The shower is white noise. Gabriel almost drifts off, so he gets up to open a window, lets in the cool night air.

It’s a gorgeous night. The stars are out, visible even with the competition of a streetlight.

When the shower shuts off his heart jumps into his throat. Gabriel smooths a hand over his hair and swallows his nerves, smiling as Jack peers out from behind the bathroom door, water glistening on his chest.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” Gabriel returns. He cocks a brow, but Jack doesn’t move from behind the door.

Jack’s smile fades as his eyes flicker away.

Gabriel’s gut twists. He shifts, one hand snaking over the back of his neck. “You still want to do this?”

“Yeah. I mean, if you do.” Jack steps out of the bathroom slowly. He’s naked. Gabriel lets his eyes trace the man’s form. He’s lean and toned, broad-shouldered like he’d thought, but hairier than he’d expected.

Heat burns under his skin. “Yeah,” he whispers, voice hoarse. He turns away to eye the bed. His room is a little messy, but he’s sure the stranger won’t mind. Footsteps, and then Jack’s warm hands slide around his waist.

His heart pounds in his ears. The man’s touch is so light, so _careful_ , that it’s making him dizzy. He focuses on his hands, big and warm and a little rough, as they trail down his stomach to his waistband. Nerves get the best of him and he laughs.

Jack folds against his shoulder with a sigh. “Everything okay, angel?”

“I’m just not used to this,” he admits. “Been a while.”

“For me, too,” Jack says. He breathes out, kisses his shoulder. “We can take this slow.”

Gabriel angles his head back to catch his mouth in a kiss. It’s so soft he can’t breathe until Jack pulls away, his hands tugging his shirt open to slip it off his shoulders.

His touch trails down Gabriel’s spine. He fights back a shiver as Jack kisses him again, harder, presses against his back. His skin is burning hot and he’s _hard_ and Gabriel fights to focus. He breaks the kiss to turn into Jack’s arms, pushing him gently toward the bed.

Jack settles with one arm bent behind his head. Gabriel drapes himself over him, kissing him deeply, hungrily, until Jack groans into his mouth and reaches for him. Darting away, he smirks. Jack’s skin is starting to turn red.

He slides open the nightstand. There’s a bottle of lube, unopened, beside a black harness and an assortment of toys. Swallowing his nerves and a wave of embarrassment he pulls out a dildo and tosses it on the bed. Jack turns his head, one eyebrow slowly rising.

“Turn over,” Gabriel says.

Jack’s eyes snap back to him. He slowly pulls himself up but doesn’t turn over, just sits on the edge of the bed, one hand smoothing over the curve of Gabriel’s shoulder. “Kiss me.”

He does. Jack is impossibly warm. Gabriel traces one hand up his thigh, pushes him back down again. Jack’s arms wind around his neck.

“Turn over,” he whispers against his throat, “Get comfortable, if you like.”

He can feel Jack’s smile when they kiss again.

Jack props himself up on a pile of pillows and takes a moment to settle before he looks back over his shoulder. Gabriel drags a knuckle up the back of his thigh, delighting in how Jack shivers. He kisses between his shoulder blades, trails down his spine. He has time to tease, to work him up, but Gabriel is growing impatient.

He presses one last kiss to the base of his spine before leaning back toward the nightstand. He’s all too aware of how Jack watches. Gabriel pulls out a package of dams and ignores the smirk that crawls across the stranger’s face.

“Maybe I want to kiss you after,” he mumbles.

“I’d like that.”

Jack wiggles his ass. Gabriel rolls his eyes as he moves back over him, ripping open the package as he kisses his spine again. He reaches for the lube and drops a little directly on Jack’s skin before he puts the dam in place and gets to work, eager to see what noises he can pull out of the man.

To his surprise, he’s vocal, even a little bossy. It flares red hot under his skin, the spark catching at the base of his spine and flooding his senses. He takes his time even as Jack’s voice falters and breaks. He takes even more time to finger him, entranced by the way his skin flushes red, how his body tightens when he hits _just right_.

“God,” Jack pants, “That’s perfect.”

“You good?”

“Yeah. _Please_.”

Jack twists onto his back as Gabriel snaps the harness and dildo into place. He’s red from his face right down to his cock, but he’s smiling.

He reaches out and runs a hand down Gabriel’s chest. “Goddamn,” he breathes, “Look at you.”

It’s his turn to flush. Gabriel pushes Jack down and chases his mouth, kisses him hard. Jack’s skin is warm and a little damp with sweat and he wants to touch every inch of him, wants to hear him again. The man writhes underneath him, cock rubbing against his leg, groaning into the kiss. He won’t keep him waiting, not when he wants this just as much. Gabriel breaks the kiss to grab the lube and slicks up his palm, rubs it over the dildo.

Jack sits up on his elbows, teeth on his lip. “How do you want me?”

“Just like this.” Gabriel spreads a hand out across the man’s chest. His heat is pounding, his breathing shallow. He climbs over him, kisses him again, a little more gently. Jack whines when he takes his cock in hand and gives him a long, leisurely stroke. He kisses down the side of Jack’s jaw, bites lightly at his shoulder, loves the little gasp he makes. Reaching lower, he presses against his hole, just teases. Jack’s breath comes in hot puffs against his neck.

A hand works up over his shoulder, nails dragging against his skin. “Fuck me,” Jack says, voice so low and deep that a shiver shoots down his spine. His other hand works into his hair and tugs him down into a kiss that’s searing hot. Gabriel reaches down to hold the base of the dildo and slowly pushes inside.

He can feel Jack tense, can hear his breathing stop and shudder as he coils up, his grip tightening. It lasts just for a moment and then Jack throws his head back. He’s grinning and his face is red and his eyes are glazed over. Quite the sight.

“C’mon,” Jack huffs, “Fuck me.”

That little bit of bossiness, of direction, has Gabriel’s heartbeat slamming in his throat. He pulls one of Jack’s thighs up to give him a better angle. He loves the way Jack’s features tighten as he slowly eases back, still teasing.

Jack moves with him. Gabriel pins one of his hips down, matches his cocky smile. “How bad do you want it?”

He wraps a hand around the base of Jack’s cock and squeezes. Whatever Jack was about to say turns into a low groan. Gabriel rocks his hips slowly, watching Jack’s face as his eyes squeeze shut.

“ _Fuck,_ ” Jack hisses, “That’s good. That’s so good, angel.”

The nickname crackles under his skin. Gabriel gives his cock another pump as he thrusts again, a little harder, driving deeper. Jack reaches up for him, curls an arm around his neck to pull him down roughly. His kiss is hard and messy and it’s all the incentive Gabriel needs to fuck into him properly, biting down on his lip as Jack gasps.

He takes his hand off Jack’s cock to brace himself and fucks him, hard, gives him _exactly_ what he wants. Jack pants and groans and whispers praise into his ear, moves with him, rocks down to meet every thrust.

Gabriel’s so turned on he can barely think straight to keep his rhythm. He stalls, pants to catch his breath. Jack makes a small noise of complaint as he eases out the dildo.

He pats Jack’s ass. “Turn over,” he says, “On your knees.”

A wide grin cracks across Jack’s face. His back is flushed red and his skin is damp with sweat. Gabriel kisses between his shoulders as he rubs his fingers against Jack’s hole, delighting in the little gasps he makes as he teases.

“You look good like this,” Gabriel groans, marking the statement with a nip to the back of Jack’s neck. “I wanna make you come.”

“Then _make me come_.”

Gabriel bites harder, kisses over it. “I’ve got you,” he pants against his ear, “Okay?”

He curves one hand around Jack’s chest, spreads his fingers through thick chest hair. Jack’s breathing hard, heart pounding. As Gabriel eases in again, his breath stops. He sits for a moment, his chest to Jack’s back, their bodies burning hot. Arousal floods his senses. It’s deep and consuming and it _aches_ but he loves it.

He starts with slow, deep thrusts, just rocking his hips. Jack curves up against him, turns his head, meets him with a kiss.

Gabriel takes that soft, almost intimate moment and thrusts into Jack, hard.

Jack groans into his mouth. “Slower,” he breathes, kissing him again, tongue sweeping over his bottom lip. Gabriel does as he asks, winding his other arm around his stomach. He returns to his starting pace, grinding against Jack’s ass. That seems to be what he wants; Jack goes soft in his arms, lets out a contented sigh. “Yeah. Right there, angel. Like that.”

He picks up the pace slowly, entranced by Jack’s mumbled commands and praises, holding back until Jack drops onto his forearms and tells him to fuck him like he means it. And then it’s all he can do, slamming into him hard, one hand working on the man’s cock.

Jack pants and groans into the duvet, back flushed bright red, sweat beading on his skin. When the comments stop he knows Jack must be close and rubs his thumb over the head of his cock.

“Come for me.”

“God, Gabriel—”

It doesn’t take much more before Jack coils up tight in his arms and lets out a low groan that rumbles through him. Gabriel kisses along his pulse, strokes him through it until his body loosens up again. Jack makes a wheezing sound that’s almost like a laugh, pats his hand. “I’m good, I’m good.” He sighs as he pulls away from his body and twists onto his side, smiling up at him, soft-eyed. “That was incredible.”

He pats his hand again. Gabriel lets him go and eases the toy out, heads straight for the washroom despite Jack calling out after him. There’s cum pooled in his palm. He rinses it off and does the same for the dildo, leaves the harness and the toy by the sink.

Jack is spread out on the bed on his back, propped up on the pillows. Still red and breathing hard, still smiling. He pats the bed. “Come over here.”

Gabriel rolls his eyes but leans in to kiss him anyway. Jack tugs him closer.

“Can I take care of you?”

He hesitates. Jack pulls away from his mouth, kisses along his neck. He’s still burning up, still hard as hell. Gabriel swallows hard, nods. “Yeah. Yeah, I’d like that.”

Jack spreads a warm hand over his thigh. Gabriel gets the idea, sets one knee on the other side of Jack’s hips. He feels warm when Jack’s eyes flicker over his body, taking him in. One arm winds around his waist, tugging him close to Jack’s mouth.

It’s slow and lazy but it’s perfect, exactly what he wants. Gabriel rocks against his hot mouth, grips Jack’s hair. Jack traces along the shaft of his dick with his tongue, kisses the base, moves down to mouth at his thigh before cycling back, popping the head of Gabriel’s dick between his lips. Gabriel groans, thrusts gently against his mouth. Jack seems to like that, his grip on Gabriel’s hips tightening.

It’s an easy pace but Gabriel starts to burn up fast, reaches down to grab Jack’s shoulder. “Fuck,” he groans, “I’m gonna come, Jack.”

Jack closes his eyes, doesn’t stop. Gabriel thrusts faster as his nerves light up, white-hot and aching. The brink hits him like a punch to the gut, sudden and overwhelming and he can’t breathe, can’t think about anything else but how _good_ it feels, how warm Jack’s mouth is, how perfect the pressure of his tongue is. Gasping, he lets go of Jack’s hair and pulls himself away, shivering at the sudden cold.

The man in his bed smirks up at him, his mouth damp with his arousal. He looks happy and tired, thoroughly worn out. Gabriel aches, decides to kiss him again, slides their tongues together slowly.

Jack sinks down on the pillows, eyes falling shut, when Gabriel pulls away. “Can’t remember the last time I felt this good.”

“That’s what I like to hear.”

Jack huffs a laugh. “Come here, angel.”

He opens his arms. Gabriel falls into them, too tired to really care about getting up to shower or to get dressed or to see the man out of his house.

He’s content, and sleep comes fast.

-

Gabriel lingers in bed long past his first morning alarm. Beams of light arch across the bed, catching on skin marked with little scratches and love bites. He stretches out on the bed. The sheets are pooled on the floor and it’s only him and Jack, who’s awake and moving, swinging his legs over the edge of the mattress. His voice is rough with sleep and warm as the whiskey they’d shared last night. “Morning.”

Gabriel still feels bold, and despite the soreness in his muscles and the fact that he’s barely awake he reaches out a hand, palm up. “Morning. Stick around?”

“Would love to.” The stranger’s smile switches to apologetic. “But I’ve got somewhere to be.”

“Shame,” Gabriel mumbles, eyes falling closed. Chances are he won’t see the man again, at least not much. He tries to ignore how the thought grates. “Was a great night.”

He listens to Jack shuffle around, searching for his clothes. “I’m in the neighborhood. Maybe we’ll bump into each other again.”

“You know where to find me.”

He’s too tired to focus on the pang of loneliness that follows as the stranger leaves the house. The bed still smells like him, smoke and leather and spice.

-

He waffles on the tie when Tuesday morning arrives. Gray or pink, tie or open collar. He runs a hand over his short curls and pulls off his glasses to scrub off a smudge. White shirt, navy sweater, black slacks. The tie is all that’s left. He gives up on the idea and tosses both of them onto the bed.

As he walks down the hall, Jesse’s alarm starts up. Gabriel gently knocks on the door as he passes. “Up and at it, kiddo.”

He puts the coffee on before popping frozen waffles into the toaster. He rests against the counter, watching the carafe slowly fill up, rubbing his temples. The first day is always chaos. That’s just how it goes with third graders. His stomach twists with nerves. Funny how eight year olds could strike such fear into the hearts of men.

Jesse drags himself into the kitchen in his pajamas, his hair a scruffy mess. Gabriel flips the waffles onto a plate for him and pulls the syrup out of the fridge. “All set?”

“Guess so,” Jesse yawns. He doesn’t bother covering his mouth. “Remember what we talked about Friday?”

Gabriel shrugs as he pours himself a travel mug of coffee. “Yeah. I remember.” Gabriel locks eyes with his son, and even though Jesse is fourteen, worry swells in his chest and he can’t help himself. “You’ve got your house key? Planner? Schedule?”

“C’mon,” he huffs.

“Bus is at seven-thirty sharp.”

“Same as last year. Haven’t forgotten yet,” Jesse grumbles. He takes a bite out of his waffles and talks with his mouth full. “You worry too much, Reyes. I can mind myself jus’ fine.”

Reyes. That stings a little, but he hides it behind a smile as he grabs his bag and his coffee. “Alright, alright. I’ll leave you alone. I’ve gotta get going, anyway.” He stops in the doorway. “Need anything, shoot me a text, okay?”

Jesse just waves. Gabriel shoves down his unease as he darts out the door and fumbles with the keys to lock the door behind him.

It’s still early, but a few neighbors are out with their dogs and wave hello as he climbs into the van. He finds himself worrying about Jesse as he pulls onto Main Street. First day of high school is a big deal, but Jesse can handle it just fine, he just has to trust him. Some days, it’s hard to take his own advice. He thinks it’s one of those days as he sips his coffee at a red light.

The school is empty when he arrives. He’s always too early on the first day, but he makes good use of that time to set out his papers and fill in the chalkboard. He runs over a list of his student’s names. He’s almost got it memorized, but there are a few new kids in his class this year. He takes a moment to double check that he has the right number of desks and coat hooks before he takes a deep breath, downs the rest of his coffee, and sits back in his chair. Last year’s decorations need to be updated, but the room is clean and looks good. It’ll be up to his students to put a little more life into it.

He gets up to open the windows. There are a few vans in the parking lot. Most of them are familiar.

“Uh, excuse me. Is this Mr. Reyes’ room?”

Gabriel jumps a little as he spins around on his heel to face a doorway filled with a man—his face stuck behind his phone—and his daughter, both looking more than a little lost. This is far from unusual. Gabriel relaxes, tugging at his collar as he nods. “Yes it is. Glad to meet you, Mr…”

“Morrison.” The man lowers his phone and freezes, eyes narrowing.

He studies the man’s face for a moment. He’s clean shaven and rather handsome, if he’s feeling generous, but he looks like he hasn’t slept in a week.

He looks a lot like…

For a moment, Gabriel’s sure it’s just his imagination, but as a look of horror crawls across the man’s face, he feels it hit hard, right in the gut.

It’s _definitely_ him, just cleaned up a little, eyes hidden behind the glare of what look like reading glasses. Jack shuffles, coughs into a fist. It does little to quell the tension in the room.

Fuck. He’s fucked one of his student’s dads. If the ground could open up and swallow him right then, he wouldn’t even _think_ about complaining.

The quiet is awkward as hell. They both stand, openly gawking at each other, until Morrison’s daughter tugs on his coat and darts behind him.

“…Right.” Morrison—Jack? Should he call him Jack?—coughs again. His voice is strained and tight when he finally gathers himself. “This is my daughter, Emily. We just, uh—”

“Moved!” A small voice cuts in. Emily peeks out from behind Jack, big eyes round like an owl’s. All her shyness is gone in an instant as she darts into the room, swinging her bag onto a free hook.

“Right. We just moved in on the other side of town.” God, the man is actually turning _red_. Gabriel wonders if his own embarrassment is showing. He steps closer, lowering his eyes. “She wanted to get a seat at the front of the class and insisted we come in early.”

On cue, the early warning bell chimes. Gabriel can hear the halls begin to fill up with excitable voices.

He glances over as Emily plops down right in the middle aisle at the front and starts kicking her feet. “Overachiever?”

“Helps her focus,” Jack says.

Emily saves him from having to make further small talk by launching herself from the desk into Jack’s arms, giving him a tight, squeezing hug. They don’t look very familiar, he notes; she’s covered in freckles, her hair is red and her eyes are brown and a different shape, but their noses are the same. He goes to sit down, trying to focus on his first day lesson plan. It’s hard to ignore his pounding heart and his queasy stomach. Part of him can’t wait until Jack leaves.

“I’ll be good, Daddy, I promise,” Emily chirps, “Remember, there’s tuna casserole in the fridge, and chips in the cupboard, and Mom says don’t forget to take your medicine, and to pick me up at three-fifteen.”

“Got it.”

“And I wanna get a tarantula.”

Gabriel lifts his eyes from his lesson plan. Jack is down on one knee, with Emily pacing in front of him in tight circles.

“A spider?”

“Yeah. Mom won’t let me have one.”

“I see.”

“So we’ll go to the pet store after school.”

“C’mon, gingersnap. It’s almost time for class.” Jack pulls her in for another hug. She squirms away when he gives her a kiss on the forehead to land back at her chosen desk.

A few kids squeeze past Jack into the room. The man stands up straight, looking a little lost. Emily is already busy with her nose in a school book.

Gabriel is disappointed when Jack steps over to his desk. “Uh, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to drag this out, but…” He wrings his hands together, glances back at his daughter. She looks at home already with her books and pencils neatly organized on the desk. Jack, on the other hand, looks like he’s about to faint. “God, I’m sorry, this is so—”

He doesn’t need to say _awkward._ Gabriel offers a smile. “It was very nice to meet you, Mr. Morrison.” He’s trying to keep a straight face but it’s almost impossible with how pale Jack looks, like Gabriel is a ghost of his past.

They shake hands loosely. Jack’s grip is damp with sweat. Gabriel’s not sure if he wants to laugh or if he still wants to drop through the floor.

“Likewise, Mr. Reyes.” Jack ducks his head, glances back toward his daughter, and is gone in a flash.

Gabriel resists the urge to faceplant on his desk.

On the bright side, he’s not so nervous about teaching class anymore.


	2. Chapter 2

_ \-  A different way to be -  _

 

Jack doesn’t so much as  _ breathe  _ until he’s sitting in his pickup truck.

He rests his forehead against the wheel as he cranks the engine. It sputters before it starts with a wail and the radio comes back on; Emily had it tuned to an oldies station, but he clicks it off.

For a moment he just sits in the quiet, taking long, deep breaths.

He drives through town and picks his way down side streets until he finds beach parking. It’s too early for anyone to be out, but the water is beautiful, shimmering with the morning sun. Jack climbs out, feeling very out of place in his jeans and leather jacket. He’ll get sand everywhere but his house is a goddamn mess, so fuck it.

Jack flops down in the sand, flips his sunglasses down, and closes his eyes. He’ll overheat in a few minutes under the warm California sun, but for a moment, he feels at peace.

Everything catches up with him too fast.

He’s got most of the house left to unpack and Emily’s room is only half-painted, her new bed still in pieces on the floor. He needs to pick up groceries for the week and stop by the pharmacy with his prescriptions and…Jack knows there’s more but can’t remember, stows it away. Ah well, he made a list, it’ll be in a box  _ somewhere. _

Moving is never fun or easy, but he’s done it enough times that it’s not daunting anymore.

The sun is warm on his skin, like the brush of a hand across his jaw, chased by a kiss.

He lights up a smoke as he lets his mind wander. Definitely not a  _ good _ thing that he slept with his kid’s teacher. What the hell had he been thinking that night, anyway?

Jack snorts as he takes a draw of a cigarette. He’s been thinking about the man’s hands, how soft his skin was, how  _ good _ he’d felt.

And now was a great time to stop thinking about it at all. Emily’s  _ teacher _ .

He finishes his smoke and drives home.

Vanessa’s list is on the fridge. A few items are crossed off, at least—utilities, internet, cable—but he notices Emily has added a few requests of her own. He plucks it off the fridge as he walks past the table to sit. “…Get Emily a new pet. That’s right. You hear that, Bailey? She’s trying to replace you.”

Bailey barely lifts her graying muzzle. She’s curled up on her bed, surrounded by moving boxes. Jack bends down to give her a scratch before running up the stairs.

His bedroom is a mess. The bathroom, too. Emily’s room is the easiest place to start. Painting keeps him from thinking about Gabriel too much. When that’s done, and he can feel the phantom touch of the man’s lips on his neck, he plops down on the floor to finish putting her new bed together.

It takes two hours to get her room in order, but in the end, Jack is a little proud of himself. It’s a little too pink and orange for his taste, but Emily will love it. 

He eats lunch in the yard with Bailey’s head on his knee. He finds himself thinking too much,  _ again _ , and takes the dog for a walk. The neighborhood is quiet, save for the distant buzz of a lawnmower.

The houses on his street all look the same. The street around the corner has a bit more character.

His heart thuds as his eyes fall on Gabriel’s house. Stupid. He’s not even home, but Jack walks past faster and takes the long way back to his house.

He’s got more important things to do than pine and grabs his car keys off the table.

The pharmacist is first, then the bank, last stop the grocery store. This time of day the place is empty, and Jack relaxes bit by bit as he moves down the aisle. Funny how something so  _ simple _ can make him so anxious, but he’s having a good day, hasn’t had dreams to keep him awake.

He wanders into the liquor aisle, unease welling in his stomach.

He takes a bottle of cheap scotch off the shelf to inspect the label. He can almost taste Gabriel again, feel the pressure of his fingertips on his hips. He places the scotch back and leaves the aisle, fumbling with his bags in the parking lot.

He can’t dwell on it. He  _ can’t _ . As gorgeous as the man is, as much as he likes him, he’s not about to risk Emily’s education.

Part of his new start. 

-

It’s so  _ quiet. _

Jack lays awake. He has a fan running for white noise and the window open to let in any sounds of the town or the ocean. It’s not enough. He’d gotten too used to his apartment back in Boston that backed onto the freeway. Sounds of incoming aircraft, the constant rattle of trains, the endless grind of rubber on concrete, and—

And it had been too much in the end, which is why he’d moved, for a little peace and quiet. His apartment had been too small for him when he’d left the airline, and far too small for him and Emily—when she visited only on his rare weekends off, it was fine, he’d slept on the couch—and so this should be better, but everything about it feels  _ wrong. _

He gives up on trying to sleep at one in the morning and pads down the hallway in his slippers, dodging the half-emptied boxes that crowd the hall.

Emily’s door is open a crack. Bars of light cross the carpet. She’s fast asleep with her little arms wound around her pillow, sleeping on her stomach. Jack lingers in the doorway a moment, his chest tightening. She looks so peaceful. He wonders if she’s happy here, but he knows it’s too soon to tell, knows she’ll put on a brave face for him.

He makes himself a cup of coffee despite the time and drinks it black in the front window. Bailey snores from her bed, now in it’s permanent spot beside the TV. The street glows. The houses are all dark both ways down the street.

It’s nothing like home. That’s the point. He should be glad he’s out of Boston, glad he’s managed to get a few things right. Count his blessings, so to speak. 

Going back to bed seems pointless, so he sits down in the living room and sorts through his books and DVDs, wires Emily’s consoles, sets up dusty photographs on the coffee table. One of them catches his eye.

He and Vanessa look happy in it; they’re even wearing matching colors. Emily is sandwiched between them, maybe three or four. 

With the photograph under his arm and his coffee in hand Jack walks back to his room, careful to be quiet, knowing how easily Emily can be woken. 

Vanessa will be up. She was always a night owl, just like him.

“Hey, Jackass! How are things?”

“Vanessa. Hey.”

“ _ You  _ called. Not excited to hear from me?”

“You know that’s not true,” Jack huffs. Vanessa is already laughing on the other end. She whispers something he can’t quite make out. 

“Sorry. I’ve got a minute. How was her first day?”

“Well, she wouldn’t stop talking about it the whole drive home,” Jack said, “And then for the rest of the night.”

“Aww. That’s good. You met her teacher?”

Jack swallows down the jolt of fear that sticks in his throat. “Uh, yeah. Nice guy.”

“That’s it? He’s  _ nice _ ?”

He could say a lot more, but Jack just grins and says, “The school is beautiful, Vanessa. Em’s gonna love it here.”

“The town got a nice library?”

“Drove by. Looks like it.”

“Then she’ll be good to go.” Vanessa lets out a sigh. He can hear her clink a spoon, she must be making tea. “You’re...still good for this, right?”

He rubs his temples. Truthfully, he doesn’t know. He’s gotten better bit by bit, but he has a long way to go before things will be normal again. “I want to try.”

“Jack—”

“I know it’s pointless to ask you not to worry, but I want to try. You’ve taken care of Emily by yourself for years and you—”

“Don’t do that. That’s not fair.” Vanessa sighs. She must be tired. “You were always there, Jack.”

“Not enough.”

She doesn’t say anything for a long moment. He can hear another voice in the background, probably Alexandra’s. “It’s late.”

“Just one in the morning.”

“ _ Jack _ .”

“It’s quiet,” he mutters. It’s weak, but it’s the truth. “I’m sorry I called. I know you’re busy settling in too, I just—”

“I was actually gonna call you,” Vanessa said, “Yeah. I know what you mean.”

Dead air hisses over the line. Neither of them speak. There’s familiarity in the quiet between them.

“I found a great picture of us,” Jack finally says, “Remember that trip we took out to Springfield?”

“We took a few trips out there.”

Jack manages a laugh. Vanessa catches on, but hers doesn’t last.

“I’m gonna let you go. Alexandra is making dessert cocktails.”

“Aren’t you lucky.”

“Sometimes I think I’m the luckiest woman in the world,” Vanessa sighs. “Goodnight, Jackass.”

“Goodnight. And good luck with class.”

He sets the phone down on the nightstand and doesn’t move until the screen fades to black. 

-

He wakes up to a tiny hand holding his nose closed. Emily blows out her cheeks, shrieks, and makes a run for it. Jack just flops over onto his back. “ _ Emily. _ ”

By the sound of it, she’s already down the stairs. Jack drags a hand down his face. In the end, he’d barely slept, but he hadn’t had any dreams, thank God. Bailey thumps her tail by the foot of the bed. Jack gives her a leisurely chin scratch before pulling on clean clothes and following his daughter’s tracks.

She’s already set the table. Jack intercepts her before she can touch the coffeemaker, scooping her up by the armpits. She’s too big for the game but she lets out a whoop anyway, grins when Jack plops her back in her chair.

She hasn’t woken him up like that since she was four and they all lived in the big house in Philadelphia. 

It feels...normal, almost, despite the fact that he’s barely unpacked the kitchen and the cupboards are mostly empty. He and Emily eat their cereal and chat about her plans for the day. As always, Emily has a lot of them.

At quarter to eight she drags him out the door. In the truck, Emily slides across the bench as far as the seatbelt will allow, resting her head on Jack’s shoulder.

“Hey, Dad?”

“Yeah?”

“When are you gonna teach me to drive?”

He hooks his arm around Emily’s shoulders, gives her a squeeze. “When you’re sixteen as the law declares, gingersnap.”

“Can I get a bike?”

He hums and haws, makes a show of it, then lets out a sigh. “Oh, fine. I  _ guess _ I could get you a bike.”

“I want a pink one,” Emily says, “You’ll teach me?”

Jack ignores the sinking feeling in his gut. He should have already taught her, should have had time. “This town has some nice trails.”

“Could we take Bailey?”

“I’m sure she’d like that.”

He drops Emily off, fusses over her, makes sure she has her lunch and all her books before giving her a kiss on the forehead and telling her to have a good day. Emily is gone before he’s finished his sentence.

He lingers in his truck. He catches a glimpse of Gabriel through the classroom windows. He’s wearing forest green and a warm smile as kids file through his door.

Jack watches, just for a moment, listening to The Cranberries on the radio, dim and soft. There’s still time to go in, make sure Emily gets settled before the bell rings. 

He’s smiling when he backs his truck out of the lot and heads for home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! ♥  
> [Tumblr](https://skiesovertatooine.tumblr.com/)


	3. Chapter 3

_\- You won't be alone, I'll be here to carry you along -_

 

Gabriel’s year starts off smoothly, all considered. His students are polite and focused, and he hasn’t had any issues with parents, at least, not _yet_. That’s something that will come with time.

If he doesn’t count his night with Jack, he might have called it perfect.

When he’s in the middle of checking homework his phone lights up with a video call. _Ana_. He leaps for his phone, fumbles it, almost drops it. “Ana!”

“Hey, Gabriel,” she says, “I’ve finally got a few minutes, but that’s all. It’s late.”

“How are things? Move went okay?”

“As well as can be expected,” Ana chuckles. “My house looks nicer than my office at the university.”

“Give me a tour?”

He’s seen it before in pictures, but it looks so different with a coat of paint and her art prints on the walls. Some of her things are still packed into boxes currently serving as makeshift furniture.

He wishes he was there with her, flopped out on the couch watching bad movies like they used to. He misses her like hell. He’ll have to make the trip to Cairo in the summer.

Ana ends the tour in her office and sets the phone down to lean on her arms. “You’ve been texting me all week asking if you could call. Something’s been on your mind.”

He chews on the words and elects to just spit them out. “Ana, I fucked one of the dad’s by mistake.”

Ana sputters. “I’m sorry, did you say _by mistake?_ ”

A sly grin curls across her mouth. Fear churns in his gut. “Please don’t, Ana—”

“Did you trip and accidentally—”

He lets out a snort. Ana breaks into a fit of laughter, coughs, thumps a hand on her chest.

“We met last Saturday night at the bar, and—” He waves a hand. “I’d never seen him around before, and he smelled nice, so—” He’s rambling, and Ana is grinning now, her eyes widening. “I know, I know, I never go out, but Jesse was at the Lindholm’s for the night, so I thought I’d get a drink. Do something nice for myself. Take the edge off.”

“Certainly sounds like you did just that.”

Gabriel rakes his hands down his face. “Ana, _please_.”

Ana’s trying to keep herself composed, but she’s barely managing a straight face. “I’m terribly sorry, Gabriel, but I can’t help myself. You really had no idea?”

“He said he’d just moved to town, and he didn’t mention a kid, wasn’t wearing a ring or anything, so  I figured.” And Jack was hot and his age and was _interested_ and it was nice to feel wanted. Gabriel almost regrets answering the call. “Do I just pretend it never happened? Should I try to talk to him?” He wipes a hand down his mouth. “God, it was a great night, but I don’t know.”

Ana jolts upright. He can hear something in the background, probably Fareeha. Ana hisses. “I’ve got to go. I’ll call again first thing I can.”

“Sure thing, Ana. Love you.”

“You as well.”

He stares at his phone lockscreen for a long moment before he falls off the couch onto the floor, barely holding back on a groan.

-

When Jesse comes home he doesn’t eat dinner, just goes right to the couch and flops down, putting a Western on. He doesn’t bother watching it, more interested in his phone.

Gabriel brings his dinner into the den. Jesse doesn’t look up. “So. Everything’s been fine?”

“Yep.”

“You, uh, mentioned setting up a study group with Brigitte?”

He sits down in the lazy boy. Jesse flinches slightly, moves away on the couch to lean over the arm.

“Jesse?”

“I can hear ya jus’ fine,” he snaps. He glares at Gabriel from the corner of his eye as he slips his phone into a pocket and gets up. “Got homework.”

“You just got home.”

“Yeah. And?”

“And it’s _Friday_ ,” Gabriel says. “Take it easy.”

His son pauses in the kitchen. He can tell that Jesse’s eyeing his cooking. It’s not very good, he’ll admit that, but it’s hard to get the kid to eat anything that isn’t takeout.

“Got no time,” Jesse mutters, “Test Monday.”

He’s lying. “Movie’s just started.”

“It’s fine. Seen it before.”

He says goodnight, and that’s it. Chances are he won’t see Jesse until tomorrow afternoon with how the kid sleeps. He’s barely seen him all week; when he’s not in school he’s at the library or the Lindholm house.

If he’s telling the truth.

Gabriel sorts the toxic thought away; it won’t get him anywhere, in the end, and gets up. A drink down at _Barracuda_ sounds like a good idea, even if he still winces at the thought of their shit scotch. He goes upstairs, changes into a lighter sweater, throws on jeans. He knocks on Jesse’s door to tell him he’s going out. He gets nothing but silence in response.

He’s half disappointed and half relieved that Jack’s black leather coat is nowhere to be seen. It’s still early and the place is dead. He suffers through a glass of scotch and gets up after half an hour passes. He’s avoiding his problems, but what can he do?

Pushing Jesse to talk isn’t fair. The kid needs space sometimes. Gabriel won’t take that from him.

Maybe his therapist isn’t working out, but he really has no idea. He doesn’t want to intrude, doesn’t want to check up that Jesse is actually _going_ . Maybe he should, but that’s trust, right? But God, it’s so easy to tell himself that, and so much harder to _do_.

So he stops for a decaf before heading home, ruminating on the better parts of the week. When he gets home he can hear music from Jesse’s room. A not-so-subtle way to tell him not to bother him. With a sigh, he beelines for his studio.

Everything’s where he left it. Gabriel plops down at his sewing machine and picks up on the blouse he hasn’t touched since last week. The work is done too fast, and Gabriel hunts for something else to finish. Few things to repair, and that adds up to an hour of his time. Leslie will be happy with that; she’s been waiting a while on those pieces.

The mannequin is bare, his sketchbook empty. He uses the office all summer, on and off until winter break, and during spring his sewing machine never gets any love. Shame; spring is usually the time of year he feels most creative.

He chugs the remainder of his coffee and tries to sketch something out.

A suit. Something a little different from his usual, something using a heavier fabric. He’s not sure what, though, and tosses the idea in the trash.

At eleven he flops back in his chair. He still has time to go back out, to try to enjoy himself a bit. He could play a bit of guitar, seeing as he’s getting rusty, or he could finish one of the many movies he hasn’t had time for.

All he wants is to spend time with his son, but his music is still thrumming through the house, and Gabriel doesn’t push, _won’t_ push, so he goes back to work.

-

He wakes up to someone pushing his shoulder. Gabriel lets out a grunt. “What?”

“Jus’ wanted to make sure you ain’t dead.”

He slowly opens an eye. He’s fallen asleep at his desk. That’s not uncommon, exactly, but it’s been weeks since the last time, back in the middle of summer when he had orders to fill. Gabriel wipes his mouth as he sits up, blinking hard to adjust to the morning light streaming through the windows.

Jesse is dressed. It must be late in the morning, the kid is never up before nine if he can help it.

“Something going on I don’t know about?”

Jesse shrugs. He doesn’t look at Gabriel directly as he mumbles the words. “We’re invited out for brunch.”

He yawns, moves his hand too slowly to cover his morning breath. Jesse takes a healthy step back before continuing.

“Brigitte’s dad invited us. She asked last night.”

“You could’ve told me.”

Another shrug. That’s half of how the kid communicates these days. “You don’t have to come if you don’t wanna.”

“Of course I will.” Gabriel tips over. Jesse moves out of his way fast as he topples out of his office chair, barely catching himself on the desk in time. “What time?”

“Meetin’ in half an hour.”

Gabriel manages to hide his grin until he’s in the shower, rinsing off the shroud of sleep. His son wants to spend time with him, on a _Saturday_. Well, him, and a friend, and...well, he’s probably just a buffer for Brigitte’s parents, but damn it, what did it matter? He’s wanted to meet them properly for months now since they’d moved into the house down the street.

He meets Jesse at the door. “I’m good to go.”

“Alright.” He nudges Jesse’s arm, barely hiding his smirk. “How bad are they?”

“Who?”

“Her parents.”

Jesse just snorts. Gabriel can’t decipher what that means.

Upon arrival, the place is busy, but it smells like heaven. Jesse heads for the back of the restaurant. A tall girl with brown vhair tied up in a plait stands to flag them down. They’re sitting at a table big enough for ten, and all but three of the seats are occupied.

A blond man with the most magnificent beard Gabriel has even seen stands to shake his hand. “Very nice to finally meet you, neighbor,” he says, “Name’s Torbjörn. This is my wife, Ingrid. You may have met?” He lifts an eyebrow.

Gabriel turns his attention to her. She does look familiar, but it’s not until she smiles and her eyes crinkle that it clicks. “You work at the library. I’ve seen you around.”

“More than once,” she laughs. It’s a pleasant sound. “Sit, sit!”

He lands at Jesse’s side. He’s already engaged in a joke with Brigitte.

Torbjörn introduces his children one by one: Mikael, Flora, Isolde, and Peter. Brigitte is the youngest, if he’s any good at guessing ages. Peter’s wearing a wedding ring, must be well into his twenties, though Torbjörn and Ingrid both look quite young.

One empty seat. He eyes it as he chats with the Lindholms and sips his coffee.

“So,” he says, “What do you do for a living?”

“I’m an engineer.” Torbjörn puffs out his chest, clearly quite proud of the title. “Robotics, to be specific.” He nudges Ingrid, who laughs again, bright and clear as a bell. “But it’s my wife here who’s the real brains of the family.”

“Oh, stop!”

Torbjörn, grinning, turns back to Gabriel. “You like to read, yeah?”

He nods as he sips his coffee.

“Ingrid’s working on her fourth manuscript right now.”

Ingrid mumbles something Gabriel can’t understand. She’s turning a bit red, perhaps embarrassed by the attention.

Jesse perks up at his side. “They’re real good books, Mrs. Lindholm.”

She sputters for a moment before composing herself, sipping her tea with a spark in her eye.

It’s clear at this point that Jesse didn’t just bring him along as a buffer; he seems to really like them, acts like he’s at home as they order and chat and joke around. Gabriel feels it tight in his chest. No wonder he’d been spending so much time at their house all summer; they’re wonderful people.

Just begs the question why his company is so different.

He swallows his bitterness with the last of his cup of coffee.

“Oh, Reinhardt!”

Gabriel snaps to attention. He knows Mr. Wilhelm quite well; he’s worked at his school for years.

“Hello, my friends!” the man yells, “I must apologize for being so dreadfully late. I missed my bus.”

“Ah, you’re always late,” Torbjörn says. “Only thing you ever get right.”

“So kind.”

It takes the massive man a moment to fold down into his spot between Peter and Torbjörn. The coffee cup looks like a kid’s toy in his hands. “Oh, Mr. Reyes! I was hoping you’d come today. We never get to chat.”

“Time to fix that now.”

And they do. It’s easy to forget his worries surrounded by bouncing conversation and laughter. The food is downright terrible, but who cares? The coffee is alright, and Jesse seems relaxed for the first time since school started. When he bumps his kid’s elbow, he glances over, and he’s actually smiling.

He keeps his voice low. “No wonder you never wanna leave.”

Jesse rolls his eyes. “It’s impossible to without bein’ rude.”

He understands when the plates are empty and it’s nearing noon and no one seems ready to leave. Reinhardt leans across the table, telling a ridiculous story to the kids about a camping trip in northern Sweden he’d taken as a college student. Gabriel fades out of that one and glances around the restaurant.

A few people are coming in, probably for lunch at this point.

The Lindholms all order dessert. This is a whole day’s affair, apparently. When they start talking about taking the boat out on the water he nudges Jesse again. “Just brunch?”

“Hey, I didn’t know.” He shrugs. “But sounds fun.”

He concedes with a sigh and lets his gaze drift again.

He catches fire-red hair at a table under the window. Gabriel’s heart stops for a moment as Jack glances up from his menu.

Ah, fuck.

He smiles awkwardly before ducking back down, but it’s too late, Jesse’s caught him.

“What, know that guy?”

Torbjörn and Reinhardt catch on. Their conversation halts as the whole of the table looks over at Jack and his daughter.

Reinhardt jumps out of his chair. “Hello! Care to join us?”

Jack goes pale. Emily, on the other hand, flashes a bright smile and waves. “Hi, Mr. Wilhelm!” Turning back to Jack, he can hear her say, “Daddy, Mr. Wilhem works at my school! And that’s my teacher, remember?”

Ingrid and Reinhardt insist. A server watches, unamused, as they slide another table to join theirs. Small town hospitality at its finest, unfortunately.

Thankfully, Emily steals the spot next to him. Her big brown eyes fix on Jesse. A brow slowly lifts.

He catches on. “This is my son, Jesse,” he says. That word usually makes Jesse bristle, but today he seems in good spirits and leans in front of him to shake Emily’s hand.

“Nice to meet ya.”

“And this is Emily, one of my students this year, and her father—” he locks eyes with Jack. He looks a little more relaxed now, but definitely still awkward and out of place. “—Mr. Morrison.”

Jesse offers him a nod instead of a handshake.

“I didn’t realize you had a son,” Jack says, voice flat. One of his eyebrows twitches, like it’s hard to believe. He feels the man’s eyes flick toward his hand. Looking for a ring.

He’d been in the same place before on Tuesday morning, so he bites down on a retort and simply smiles. Jesse saves his ass.

“Reyes adopted me ‘bout a year ago.” He’s wearing a strange look that Gabriel can’t quite sort out. “Jus’ been the two of us.”

The conversation turns fast. Torbjörn and Ingrid introduce themselves and their children once again and insist that they both try the Belgian waffles. An invitation to come out on the boat with the rest of them is given. He can tell that Jack is about to politely decline when Emily slams her hands down on the table and screams that _yes_ , of course they will.

By one in the afternoon their bill is paid and the waitress is given a generous tip for her time. It’s a short walk down Main to the marina. Torbjörn’s boat rocks on shimmering water. It’s finely crafted and gleams like it’s just been waxed.

Jesse and Brigitte are the first on board and climb up on the roof. Gabriel falls back. He has a healthy respect for open water, and doesn’t mind the occasional outing, if, say, it happened to be a cruise. This looks a little more nausea-inducing.

“You okay, Daddy?”

Gabriel stops with one foot on the dock. Emily’s got one arm wound with her father’s. He’s turned away; Gabriel can’t make out his face.

“Was there something wrong with your waffles?”

Jack lets out a weak laugh. “No, gingersnap. I’m okay. Really.” He straightens, eyes searching for Torbjörn, probably. His gaze lands on Gabriel instead.

There’s something wrong, but Gabriel can’t place if it’s just _him_ , so he turns away and walks down to the boat. He doesn’t know much about the operation of them, doesn’t pretend to; Reinhardt and Torbjörn clearly know what they’re doing, and are taking a lot of joy in, literally, showing Jesse the ropes.

Emily comes running down the dock next. Always eager to learn or do something new. Ah, to be eight again.

When he glances back Jack is still standing at the edge of the dock, staring down into the water. He gathers all his spare courage and walks toward him.

“Hey, Jack.” It feels weird to use his first name, but Jack perks up right away, shuffles his feet in the gravel. “You good?”

“Fine.”

It’s short and probably supposed to serve as a dismissal but Gabriel can see there’s something wrong. Not hard to guess what. “You don’t like water much?”

Jack drops his shoulders, rubs at his neck.

“All aboard!” Reinhardt calls from the boat.

Gabriel gives him a wave back. “We need a minute.”

“Ah, fine.”

“I’m not much of a boat guy, either,” Gabriel says, “Much rather stay on dry land.”

He doesn’t move. Gabriel tries again.

“If you’re not comfortable with going out, just tell them. Or I’ll tell them. They’ll understand.”

“Emily wants to go.” Jack lifts his head, squints into the sun. He takes a step onto the dock. Gabriel can see him shaking, reaches out to gently touch his shoulder. Jack freezes up.

“Ah. Sorry.”

“No, it’s okay.” Jack smiles. It’s weak, but it sticks. “This is awkward.”

 _No shit_.

“So...I was thinking.” Jack takes another step onto the dock. Maybe it’s less about the ocean and more about his company, then. Emily waves from the boat, a grin plastered across her face. “We’re, uh, going to be seeing a lot of each other.” He pauses, mouth hardening into a line. “I mean. Not a _lot_. Enough, I guess. I mean, we’re neighbors, and—” he sucks in a sharp breath, steels himself. “Have coffee with me tonight?”

Gabriel blinks. He wasn’t expecting that. “...Coffee.”

“Uh, yeah. I don’t know. I mean. We should talk it out, right?” Jack winces. Emily hollers for them to hurry up. Reinhardt and Torbjörn both start laughing, the sound carrying out through the marina. “I don’t want this to be awkward. Since we’ll be seeing each other around so much.”

“Well…” Gabriel stews in his thoughts for a moment. Talking things out is usually the advice he gives to friends and family. Hard to take his own. “Better than trying to avoid each other.”

“So…”

“Yeah. Let’s go for coffee tonight.” Gabriel wants to ask more, wants to clarify it won’t be a date, but Jack’s already nervous enough. He touches his arm again without thinking, but Jack doesn’t pull away.

-

Jesse is a bit of a natural out on the water. He’s a sharp kid and he takes Torbjörn and Reinhardt’s commands with ease. Eventually, they let him take control of the boat, under Brigitte’s supervision. Gabriel sits in the cabin, unable to hide his smile. Leave it to his kid to steer a boat before he drives a car.

Reinhardt and Torbjörn settle down on either side of him. They are already engaged in conversation and don’t break for his sake.

“...Rumor is he’s giving notice by the end of the month,” Reinhardt says, “I’ll be sorry to see him go, if that’s the case, but ah, retirement sounds nice some days.”

“You’re barely forty,” Torbjörn chuckles.

“Indeed I am, friend. But it’s like that Jimmy Buffet song—”

“You need to listen to better music.”

“That’s rich coming from you.” Reinhardt huffs.

Gabriel’s mind churns. Retirement...he can’t think of anyone who’s planning on retiring at their school. Two years ago saw a few teachers leave, but their staff is younger now, save for...Principal Bailey.

He sits upright. He hates to cut in, but he can’t stop himself. “I’m sorry, Rein, can you fill me in on that rumor?”

“Oh, you know I hate to gossip.” Reinhardt snorts, cracks a grin. “He was planning on another full year, but with the divorce, I think he just needs some time off. And since he was about to retire anyway—” The boat jerks to starboard. Reinhardt almost topples out of his seat.

Emily, Jesse, and Brigitte grin at them from behind the wheel. “Sorry!”

Torbjörn waves them off with a hand. “Don’t worry for a second.” He directs that more at Jack, who, beside Reinhardt, looks like he’s about to barf. “Brigitte is a nautical master in the making.”

“You were saying, Rein?”

“He might be leaving after winter break. Providing they can find a replacement, it may be sooner.” Reinhardt combs his beard with two fingers, thinking. “Always a troubled time. If we’re lucky we’ll promote someone from our own halls.”

Gabriel can feel excitement race through his veins. That meant the board is already looking. And, no, he isn’t senior staff, has only been working there for four years, but he has all the paperwork for it, and it will look _great_ on his next adoption application, if, or when, that time comes around again.

He taps his leg, smiling to himself. When it comes time to bring the boat back into the bay, Reinhardt and Torbjörn take the wheel and Jesse plops down at his side.

“Well?”

He smiles, but keeps his eyes trained on the ocean. “Think I could do this every weekend,” he says. “Thanks. For comin’ out.”

“Anytime, Jesse.”

Jesse just smiles. Gabriel loops an arm around his shoulders and Jesse leans in against his side. It last just a moment, but in that moment, there’s nothing but the sun on the water and his son at his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: Updated Ingrid's name from Klara!


	4. Chapter 4

-  _You can see how I burn, you can feel how I try -_

 

The time is set. Jack paces the kitchen with Bailey. Emily’s watching TV in the other room. He’s lucky that Brigitte offered her evening to babysit, and even though he likely won’t be gone long, Jack won’t risk it.

He keeps telling himself it’s not a date as he goes back into the bathroom to check his hair, his shave, make sure his collar isn’t wrinkled. When he pops his contacts in, his gut twists. He  _ only _ does that on dates. Not that he goes on many dates. And this definitely isn’t a date. If he’d wanted to ask Gabriel out on a date he would’ve made plans. Sure, coffee could serve as a date, maybe if you were getting to know someone. But this was Gabriel, and—

Gabriel was his kid’s  _ teacher _ and he needed to remember that, needed to keep repeating it until any lingering feelings were properly extinguished. Could Gabriel even date his student’s parents? Was that even allowed? And there he went again, thinking too hard.

He’d met the guy a week ago. It was just supposed to be a hookup.

Jack splashes cold water on his face and steels himself. Not a date, just a meeting. Think of it like a parent-teacher conference. All business. The business being his daughter’s education. His daughter who’d moved all over the country for his job and who’d never had a real chance to stick in one place and make long-term friends—

He stops himself before the thoughts can roll any farther. It’s just coffee. An hour, no more. He brushes a hand through his hair and walks back into the living room.

He hugs Emily goodbye and climbs into his truck. He doesn’t listen to the radio as he drives, instead rolls the windows down to enjoy the sound of the gulls in the bay.

Gabriel isn’t in the cafe when he gets there. He chooses a seat by the front window that’s far away enough from a table occupied by a knitting group that they probably won’t be overheard. 

His mind wanders as he waits. He’s had a good day, all in all. Hadn’t gone anything like what he’d planned. And getting out on the water was nicer than he’d thought it would be.

He keeps his head down when the door chimes. In an instant heat flushes his face. He’s not even sure it’s  _ him _ , but he can’t look up, already feels sick again—

“Hey.”

“Hey.” He snaps upright, forces a smile. It has to look fake, judging by Gabriel's expression. “Glad you came.”

“Thought I’d stand you up?”

“Uh,” Jack doesn’t know what to say, so he shrugs, changes the subject. “You, uh, told me this was the best place in town the night we met. Hope you were right.”

Gabriel sits. He’s still for a moment, his gaze hard, unreadable. Finally, he gives a nod. Jack is glad when the waitress arrives to take their order. Americano for him; Gabriel is more responsible and asks for a decaf hazelnut latte.

He sorts through sugar packets as silence stretches between them. Gabriel looks handsome and it’s hard to ignore. He wants to tell him, but this isn’t a date. The nerves, though? They feel like first date nerves.

Gabriel is the first to break the quiet. “If you’re worried I’m going to tell someone what happened, Jack—”

_ Oh. _

“—Or that you’re…” Gabriel makes a hand motion. Jack gets the point, shakes his head.

“I’m not ashamed of what happened.” Wrong word. Embarrassed barely cut it. “And...I’m out.”

Gabriel nods. “Okay.”

“But…” Jack bites his lip. Gabriel leans over the table, arms crossed. “This situation is still a little rocky for me. I mean. I don’t want to get you into any trouble.”

Gabriel lets out a long sigh. “I appreciate the thought. It’s not technically against my contract, it’s just frowned upon,” he explains. “And I mean—in our case, we met before the term started, so…” he trails off, rakes his hands down his face, lets out a little laugh. “It shouldn’t be an issue.”

“Good. I’m glad.” Jack nods, maybe a little too much. He watches Gabriel for a tell, but the man just looks tired out. He can’t blame him, it’s been a long day. “Hey. Since we’re neighbors. Maybe we could be friends.”

Friends who’d fucked each other. That wasn’t so strange these days.

The waitress brings their drinks. Gabriel sips his, hums contentedly, then says, “Would help if I knew a little more about you.”

“Sure. What do you wanna know?”

“Start somewhere easy. Where do you work?”

Oh. Well. Fair question, sure, but it had a complicated answer. “I used to work for Delta.”

“The airline?”

Jack shrugs. “Yeah. Flew for them just over ten years.”

Gabriel perks up a bit. “You’re a pilot?”

He wants to say  _ was _ , but he still has the license, technically. “Yeah. I’m, uh, off work right now.”

Gabriel doesn’t push, bless him, just rolls on to the next. “School?”

“Indiana State.”

“That where you’re from?”

Jack grins. “You got it.”

“Farm boy.”

“Was once.” Jack sips his coffee. There’s something bright in Gabriel's eyes that makes his heart skip. “What about you?”

“UCLA grad,” he says, “From the city. Moved out here about four years ago for work.” Gabriel picks up his coffee and cradles it in both hands, but doesn’t drink, just stares into the cup, smiling a bit. “Been teaching since I graduated. Started out in San Diego.”

“Why’d you leave SoCal?”

He goes stiff. Jack’s gut drops. Gabriel's eyes are soft, unfocused. Jack reaches out to gently touch his sleeve.

His touch seems to snap Gabriel out of it. He lifts his head, smiling faintly. “I got in a bad car accident about six years ago.” He shifts, sets his coffee down. “Someone drove through a red and T-boned my truck. Broke my leg in three places, shattered a few ribs, broke my arm. Had a nasty concussion. Couldn’t do anything but sit in a hospital room for weeks.” 

“God, Gabriel. I’m so sorry.”

“Everything kinda happened all at once.” Gabriel pulls away from his touch, leans back to cross his arms over his chest. Evidently, it’s not easy for him to talk about. Jack gets that. The only people he can talk to about the accident are Vanessa and his therapist. “I thought I was going to die, and...everything kind of came into perspective.”

He goes quiet, strokes his beard. 

“I was engaged. We were living together. Back then I thought that compromise was the key to happiness. But I was the only one compromising.” He pauses, cracks a smile. “He wanted a big house and to make partner at a good firm and I wanted to settle down and start a family. Lot of things came out when I was recovering. It ended, and I moved out here. Thought it would be temporary. Somewhere different to relax for a while. Didn’t expect to love it so much.”

“Funny how perspective can come about.”

“I always wanted to be a father,” Gabriel says, “He wasn’t sure. We’re both happier now.”

“Speaking of. Jesse seems like a great kid.”

Gabriel relaxes bit by bit, shoulders loosening, his smile growing. “Yeah. I’m so proud of who he is.” He takes another sip, then snorts. “It’s incredible. Adoption got cleared almost a year ago and he’s already changed so much.”

“True what they say—”

“They grow up so fast.” Gabriel rolls his eyes. “And now I’ve got a teenager.”

“I’ve heard it’s not so bad.”

Gabriel laughs. “You’ll see for yourself.”

“So. Anymore questions?”

“We can just talk.” Gabriel leans a little closer, places one hand on the table, fingers tapping out a beat he can’t read. “I’ve got some time.”

This feels...easy. His nerves are still present but they’re not hard to ignore. Conversation picks up fast, building a rhythm. For the most part they talk about their kids, about Gabriel’s job, about the town. He doesn’t ask much about Jack’s former career, which he appreciates. 

When silence comes again, it doesn’t feel strained or tense. Gabriel smiles faintly at him over the rim of his cup.

“I was just thinking.” Jack says, “This doesn’t feel weird.”

Gabriel lifts an eyebrow, nods. “I really thought it would. I’ll be honest, I thought about cancelling.” He shrugs a bit. “Didn’t have your number.”

“So you were gonna stand me up.”

“I wasn’t sure you’d even be here.”

It’s Jack’s turn to be surprised. “Really?”

“You seemed pretty stressed out earlier. And I don’t like to make a fool out of myself.” Gabriel crosses his arms again, leans back, his mouth twisting up into a frown. “For what it’s worth, I’m glad I was wrong.”

Heat rushes to Jack’s face. He coughs into a fist and lunges for his coffee, takes a long draw. Gabriel just watches him, expression neutral.

“Can’t imagine anyone would stand up a guy like you.”

“Straight to the flattery, huh?”

“Just being honest.” Jack shifts. His chair suddenly feels stiff and uncomfortable. “You don’t mind?”

“The honesty? No.”

Jack can’t believe what he’s about to do, even as he leans forward and slides his palm across the table to gently touch Gabriel's hand. The man doesn’t react save for a smile, doesn’t pull his hand away. 

“What happened last week...” Jack tries to smile. It feels flimsy thanks to his nerves. “That was a good night. I remember you saying that.”

“Yeah.”

“Is there something here?”

Gabriel lifts his eyes, expression hard, serious. His eyes search Jack’s face. He can almost see the gears move in his head. Jack’s ready for a dismissal when he says, “I’m not against finding out.”

-

Everything’s burning.

Jack grabs hold of Gabriel's collar for leverage. He’s shaking so hard he feels like he’s going to fall apart and he needs an anchor, needs to  _ breathe _ , but Gabriel is stealing his air with every kiss. They’re pressed up against each other in the backseat of Jack’s truck, Gabriel's weight on top of him. He’s warm and perfect and Jack curls his legs around his waist, wants more, needs more.

Gabriel breaks away, kisses down his chest as he tears open his shirt. Jack sits up as Gabriel takes a hold of his belt, yanking it open and popping his fly. His mind is already on the fritz and the idea of what Gabriel is going to do sends heat surging down his spine straight to his cock.

Gabriel pushes up his shirt to kiss his stomach. “May I?”

He lets out a breathy laugh. “ _ Please _ . By all means.”

His heart pounds in sync with the radio. At this rate they’ll fog up the windows, too, but fuck if he cares. The parking lot behind the cafe is shaded and hidden from the street. No one will see a damn thing.

Gabriel pulls himself up to kiss him again, this one soft. He smiles down at him. “This how you thought tonight would do?”

“Been thinking about you,” Jack pants, “Can’t get you out of my head.”

“Nice job avoiding the question.”

Jack laughs. “Won’t lie. I might’ve considered the possibility.”

Gabriel is grinning as he kisses back down Jack’s chest. He pulls his boxers down and takes him in hand, gives him a squeeze that pulls a groan out of him. “You’re so hard.” He thumbs over the tip of his cock, leaves a light kiss on the head. Jack suppresses a shiver. “Look at you.”

Excitement jolts through his bones. Jack chokes on a groan as Gabriel licks up the underside of his cock, taking his sweet time to tease him, get him wound up. It’s working. Jack can feel his face turning redder with every slow pass of Gabriel's tongue. He reaches down to grab his shoulder.

“ _ God _ . That’s so hot.”

“Keep talking. I wanna hear you.”

Gabriel pops the head of his cock into his mouth. He’s so perfectly warm that Jack worries he’s gonna come too fast. Doesn’t help any when Gabriel starts to tease him, switching from lazy strokes to deep pulls.

“You look so good,” he groans, “God, I wanna fuck you so badly.”

“Later, maybe.” 

He slides down on Jack’s cock, right to the base. Jack lifts his hips just a little. Gabriel lets out a groan, gives a nod. Jack thrusts gently into his mouth. Gabriel drags his tongue along his cock as he pops off, his lips gleaming with spit and pre-cum. 

“Tell me how you want to fuck me.”

“Want you in my lap.” Jack grunts as Gabriel dips down again, lips pushing back his foreskin, tongue circling his head. God, it’s so hot he can barely think straight. “Riding me backwards, so I can touch you.”

He forms a fist in Gabriel's collar. He can’t stop his legs from shaking.

“And then I want you to fuck me into the mattress and make me come so hard I can’t think.”

Gabriel lets out a low laugh. “Didn’t I already do that?”

“Want you to do it again,” Jack groans.

He’s so far gone he can’t manage more than grunts and groans as Gabriel blows him. With the radio shaking the truck and Gabriel's hands on his body and his mouth on his cock he’s overwhelmed and exhilarated and can’t get enough. He sucks in sharp, shaking breaths, moving his hips in time with how Gabriel bobs on his cock. He’s close already. He reaches up for the headrest, braces himself.

Jack rolls his hips. Gabriel pulls off him, grinning. “Come on,” Gabriel pants, “Come for me. I wanna taste you.”

He can’t think. Gabriel is everything; there’s nothing left under his skin but a pounding heart and a weak pair of lungs. He grits his teeth. He can feel it coming, but he doesn’t want this to end, wants to lay here in the back of his truck forever. When Gabriel takes him in hand and switches his focus to the head of his cock, his other hand moving to cup his balls, he knows it’s too late. He digs his fingers into Gabriel’s shoulders, rocks his hips along with his strokes, bites down on his lip to stay quiet.

It rushes over him, drowning out all sound. He can feel nothing but liquid heat and the pounding of his own heart as he comes.

He closes his eyes and rides it out, gasps as Gabriel’s tongue works up his shaft in broad strokes.

“Fuck,” he hisses. He lifts himself up on his elbow. 

Gabriel pops off him and sticks out his tongue, showing a glimpse of his cum before he wipes his mouth and tucks him back into his pants.

Jack can hardly think straight as Gabriel climbs over him, kisses him hard. Jack arches up against him, lets their tongues slide together, tastes himself. He’s dizzy when Gabriel moves off him to straighten out his clothes.

He looks so good, composed and stately and Jack can’t help himself, gets up and slides across the seat to kiss his neck. Gabriel sighs at the touch.

He runs a hand up Gabriel’s thigh. “Can I take care of you?”

Gabriel hums. “I’m good, actually.”

“Oh.” Jack tries not to sound disappointed. “Okay.”

“Another day.” Gabriel says it so quietly Jack could have missed it. He twists to catch Jack’s lips, the kiss small and chaste. “We’ve still got a lot to learn about each other.”

Jack’s not sure what he means. He must look confused because Gabriel smiles, laughs faintly. 

“We’ve got time.”

“Ah, yeah. Should be getting home anyway.” 

“Me too,” Gabriel sighs. He glances at his watch. “Thanks. For tonight.”

Jack thinks he should be thanking him, but he just nods. “Goodnight, Gabriel.”

Gabriel takes his chin in his hands, just looks at his mouth for a long moment, like he’s thinking about kissing him. He doesn’t. He reaches for the door handle and slips out of the truck. Gravel crunches under his shoes. His car is parked across the lot.

Jack sits in the back of his truck until the car is gone.


	5. Chapter 5

_\- This feeling follows me wherever I go -_

 

 

Gabriel slides down against the door when he gets home. God, he feels  _ tired _ , almost wishes he’d ordered a double shot of espresso instead of decaf. The TV is on. Sounds like the news. 

Jesse pokes his head out from the kitchen, eyes him up and down. “You drunk?”

Gabriel sighs, closes his eyes. “No, I’m not drunk. I’m just wiped.” He drags a hand over his face. Exhaustion catches up with him fast, his energy sapping the moment by degrees with every second he sits on the floor of the front foyer. “Everything okay? How was your night?”

“Not much happened. Brigitte was gonna come over but got roped into babysittin’ for that new guy.” Jesse shrugs, Gabriel figures he can’t remember his name. His eyes slowly narrow. “Wait. Were you out with him?”

Jesse can spy a lie from a mile away, so he just nods as he pinches the bridge of his nose between his fingers. “We met up for coffee.”

“Right.”

Gabriel lifts his head. He’s too tired to pull himself off the floor. “It’s still early. Brigitte can come over if her parents are okay with it.”

The distraction doesn’t work. Jesse shifts on his feet, obviously uncomfortable. “There’s, uh, some Ken Burns documentary on. Thought maybe you’d like to watch it with me.”

Gabriel stares. He knows he’s staring but he can’t think of what to say. 

“I mean.” Jesse rubs a hand over the back of his neck. “If you’re not too tired.”

“I’ll make us some hot chocolate. How about that?”

Jesse brightens a bit. Right answer. 

He gets changed into clean pajamas and brushes his teeth before he sets a pot of milk on the stove. He can barely focus, he doesn’t have the spare energy for it. Feels ridiculous, it’s only nine.

Gabriel pulls a hand down his face. It had happened so fast; one minute Jack was just walking him to his car and the next he was kissing him. He’d made that step, that choice, but  _ why _ ? Jack was nice to look at, and pretty good company, but…

Even if he liked him—and maybe he did—whatever was going on between them needed to end if he was going to jump for a promotion. He can worry about it later. Right now his son wants to spend more time with him, and he’ll push past his exhaustion to do so.

He tops Jesse’s mug with an obscene amount of whipped cream and carries it into the living room. Jesse’s sitting cross-legged in the middle of the couch. He still looks wary, but Gabriel can’t read his expression properly. “Here you go, kid.”

“Thanks.”

He sits down on the couch, leaving him ample space. “Haven’t seen this one.”

Jesse falls asleep halfway through the documentary and slides across the couch, his head landing neatly on a pillow, his feet kicking out against Gabriel’s legs. 

When he starts snoring softly Gabriel drapes a blanket over him and settles into the lazy boy. 

-

The rest of September rolls by fast. It’s a routine, almost mechanical now after so many years of doing this job. Wake up at six, get dressed, make breakfast. Wake Jesse up at seven. Teach class. Get home at five-thirty, chat with Jesse, make dinner. Work on designs until eight or nine. Sleep.

He’s too busy to think about Jack. They run into each other on some mornings, exchange pleasantries, but no more. He sees Jack out walking an ancient golden retriever some nights after dark. That’s it. It’s easier that way. He doesn’t need a distraction right now, especially not after Principal Bailey formally gives the school board his resignation.

So it’s a cog in his finely crafted routine when Reinhardt flags him down at the front desk on the last day of the month.

It’s a simple proposition. One of the morning supervisors is starting a new job, and another is switching her kid’s school, so they need new bodies in their place. Gabriel wants to say no, but Jesse can take care of getting himself to school, and it’s another extra thing he’d be doing for the school that could work in his favor, so he agrees. Reinhardt bellows out a hearty thank you.

On October first, he gets up earlier, puts on warmer clothes, pulls his wool coat out of the closet. He makes Jesse scrambled eggs and bacon and leaves it in the fridge with a note. 

The school is dark when he gets there. Okay, so maybe he got up a little  _ too _ early, but this gives him a moment to collect himself. Morning supervision isn’t complicated. Lots of parents work early hours and drop their kids off at the crack of dawn. It won’t affect his own class any.

Gabriel hops out of his car when he sees the janitor unlock the front doors. The school is empty and quiet, almost eerie. He sets his things in his room before walking back to the front of the school. There’s already cars pulling into the lot. Probably other volunteers and staff.

He waves as Alicia pulls up in her bright red Mini. 

“Hey, Gabriel!” Alicia stumbles out of her car, drops something, lets out a hiss as she bends over to retrieve it. Snapping back upright, she flings her purse over her shoulder and checks her puff with her other hand. “What are you doing here so early?”

“Volunteering.”

“Stuck with me now, huh?” Alicia lets out an airy laugh. “Don’t look so nervous. The kids are great. I’ve been doing this for years.” She pats him on the shoulder. Her smile is infectious, he can’t help but mirror it. “There you go.”

Alicia unlocks the playground gate and they wait on the other side. Gabriel can already feel the chill in the air, doesn’t know how he’s gonna survive a full hour like this. Though he supposes it’ll be easier when supervision moves indoors in another month.

But that’s a whole month away and he’s cold  _ now _ .

A loud engine purrs in the lot. Gabriel squints. Looks like Jack’s truck.

He heaves a sigh. Alicia looks at him funny, but doesn’t say anything.

Emily shoots out of the passenger door like wildfire. Jack is slow to follow, he’s carrying a tray of take-out coffees.

“Mr. Reyes! Ms. Brown!” Emily shrieks, “Good morning good morning good morning!” She tackles Alicia into a hug and clings like a tiny, red-haired koala. “Good morning! How are you?”

“Doing very well, Emily. And how are you today?”

Before Alicia can get an answer Gabriel falls victim to her squeezing hug, and then she’s gone again, running back toward her father. 

Alicia waves. “Morning, Mr. Morrison!”

Jack perks up, finally looks their way, stops dead in his tracks. Jack stares at them for a moment before glancing out across the playground, then back again.

He looks confused as hell. Gabriel can’t imagine why. “Hey, Jack,” he calls out, “That coffee for us?”

“Yes, actually.” Jack ambles toward them. Emily darts out in front of him and he nearly trips. He stand still for a moment, watching as Emily runs off toward the playground. “She’s, uh, very excited about getting up early today.”

“What’s the occasion?” Gabriel takes a cup of coffee as it’s offered to him. “Starting a new job today?”

Jack’s eyes narrow a bit, like he’s thinking. “Could say that, I guess.”

“Gabriel, Mr. Morrison is one of our new parent volunteers,” Alicia cuts in. She flashes one of her beautiful smiles as she takes a cup of coffee. “Oh, this is from Benchmark, isn’t it? Best place in town.”

“That’s right. I’ve got some cream and sugar too, if you want it.”

He’s tempted to ask Jack if he’s got a bite of whiskey on him. He gives his head a shake. It’s not a big deal. It’s great, actually; the school always needs volunteers, and Jack’s a good guy. 

On the bright side, they’d both probably be too busy watching the kids and dealing with parents to talk much.

Gabriel takes a sip of his coffee. Maybe that’s not exactly the bright side. He doesn’t know anymore.

“Daddy, look!”

He breathes a sigh of relief as Emily runs up to them, breaking the awkward silence. She’s got her hands cupped together and a bright grin on her face. He knows that look. That look is trouble.

Jack doesn’t seem to catch on, gets down on one knee. “What’ve you got, Em?”

She giggles as she opens her hands. A tiny, lumpy toad sits on her palms. 

“Where’d you find him?”

“Down by the fence,” Emily says, “Can I keep him?”

“Emily, we’ve talked about this.”

She pouts. “He’s a wild animal and he belongs in the wild.” 

“That’s right.”

“Okay. I’ll go take him home.”

Emily saunters off again. Jack lets out a sigh. “Back when we lived in Sarasota she brought home a baby alligator once. Vanessa found it in the bathtub.”

Alicia lets out a snort. “You’re kidding.”

“It might’ve been a caiman.” Jack shrugs. “I’m not the man to ask.”

Alicia soon takes off to greet parents at the gate and take attendance. The fourth volunteer, the school’s sixth grade teacher, Mr. Peterson, arrives late, mumbling excuses. He takes post over by the playground. Jack seems to hover at his side. Gabriel sips his coffee, keeping his eye on the kids.

“So.”

Gabriel hums. It’s just the two of them, right now, out of earshot of Alicia and the parents and the kids. “So.”

“Didn’t know you volunteered mornings,” Jack mumbles, “Haven’t seen you out here.”

“First day. Reinhardt thought I was a good replacement.”

“Ah.”

“He asked you too, didn’t he?”

“Sort of. Vanessa suggested I volunteer at the school. Have something to do during the day.” Jack shrugs a little, sips his coffee, takes his time before he continues. “I mowed the lawn three times last week just because I was bored.”

“Your poor grass.”

“I’m usually up at five, so, early morning shift fit for me.”

“Five in the morning?”

Jack flashes him a wry smile. “Used to fly a route from Boston to Atlanta earlier than that.”

“Must be why you quit.”

Jack goes quiet fast, rocks on his heels. Gabriel knows he’s said something wrong, but can’t guess what, elects to backtrack.

“Thanks for the coffee.”

“You’re welcome,” Jack sighs. “It’s nice to get out of the house.”

“Ah, yeah.”

Jack looks at him. Gabriel keeps his eyes on the playground, but he can feel heat crawl under his skin. 

“We haven’t, uh, had a chance to talk.” Jack finally pulls his eyes away and a weight lifts. “Barely seen you.”

“Been pretty busy.”

“So—”

“You really wanna talk about it  _ now _ ?”

“No. Not now. I just wanted to see you again.” Jack fidgets with the tab on his coffee cup, squeaking the plastic. It’s annoying and Gabriel’s glad when he stops, lets out a sigh, and continues. “It’s nice to have someone to talk to who’s not eight years old, a dog, or my ex-wife.”

“Okay. That’s fair.”

“So...do you wanna do something? I mean, not like—” Jack ruffles a hand through his hair, laughs a little, his face turning pink. “Just as, uh, friends. Like you said. We still have a lot to learn about each other.”

“I’ll think about it.” Gabriel downs the rest of his coffee and gives him a little wave as he stalks off, beelining for Alicia, who’s got her hands full with two kindergarteners. “Stick around when you pick Emily up. We’ll talk.”

“Yeah. Okay,” Jack calls after him, “Count on it.”

-

The moment school is out Gabriel takes his time to put the remaining chairs up, double-check that no one’s left their lunch behind to stink up the room for the next day, tidies up his desk. Gabriel checks his hair in the men’s room, rubs a smudge off his glasses. He needs to get his hair cut. Maybe he’ll go back to a fade. 

Jack’s waiting outside his truck. Emily’s sitting on the hood, held securely by her father with one arm. She’s kicking her legs and thumping her shoes against the rusted-out wheel wells, but Jack doesn’t seem to mind.

“Mr. Reyes!” Emily waves frantically, the speed of her swinging feet increasing.  _ Bang bang bang.  _

“Hey,” Jack calls out. 

Gabriel just gives them both a nod, lifts an eyebrow. Emily grins at him. She’s such a happy kid but sometimes it makes him dizzy. 

“Emily, sweetheart. Mr. Reyes and I need to talk for a minute. Okay?”

“Can I go play?”

“Sure.” Jack ruffles her hair. She lets out a shriek as he picks her up, swinging her over his shoulder with ease despite her size. “Hang tight, kiddo.”

“Daddy!”

Gabriel can’t help but smile as Jack hauls her across the parking lot, spinning around before letting her down. Emily shoots off for the playground. A few kids are still on the monkey bars, supervised by a couple of moms. She’ll be fine for a moment.

Jack walks backward toward the truck, still watching Emily. He swings back up onto the hood, kicks his legs out. Gabriel stands by the wheel well. “She’s a great kid, Jack.”

“She really is. That’s her mother’s influence.” He smiles distantly. Emily is making friends with a few other kids, by the looks of it. “She’s just got so much  _ energy. _ It never stops. Hard to keep up with her some days.” His smile wanes. “She’s doing okay in class?”

“One of my best.”

“Oh, don’t tell her that,” Jack chuckles, “She likes being number one.”

“I’ve noticed.”

“Ah, yeah. She can get a little competitive, too. Also her mother’s influence.”

“That such a bad thing?”

“Not at all.” Jack beams at him. His smile is crooked and a little awkward, but Gabriel finds he likes it, wants to see more of it. “You’d love Vanessa. She’s actually studying out at UCLA right now. Something you have in common.”

“Grad?”

“Ph.D,” Jack says. His smile disappears. He glances back out at the playground, but his eyes stay unfocused. “She was doing her master’s when she got pregnant, and...things got put on the backburner. So much happened that year, and then I made Captain, and then I wasn’t home much, and…” He shrugs. “That’s actually, uh, why I’m here.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Been off work a few months now and figured, I’ve got time to be a full-time Dad, so she should take the chance to finish school.”

“Sounds like you’re on good terms.”

“Yeah. She’s my best friend. We were neighbors back in Indiana as kids, went to school together, she was my date to  _ everything _ .” He laughs a little, seems to brighten, sits up straighter. “Divorce was amicable. That’s for her to tell you about, though. I mean, if you two ever meet, I guess.”

Gabriel’s not sure what to make of that, but it doesn’t sound like it can be a bad thing, so he takes it in stride. “So, do you like it?”

“Like what?”

“Being a full-time dad,” Gabriel says. “Tough job.”

“Yeah. It’s taking me some getting used to. I was never around. I missed so much of her life.” Jack lets out a sigh. Gabriel gently touches his thigh, pulls his hand away fast when Jack turns to face him. He doesn’t say anything about that, just continues. “I want to be a good father. I want to be there for her.”

“She’s lucky to have you.”

Gabriel steps forward, leans on his arms over the hood of the truck. Jack looks at him, eyes distant, unfocused behind his glasses. Gabriel can’t read that look.

“I’ve done my thinking, by the way.”

It’s impossible to miss how Jack perks up. “Oh?”

“Yeah. Listen, Jack, what happened between us was fun, but something’s come up.”

Jack deflates, forces a smile. “Oh.”

“Principal Bailey is retiring.”

Jack cocks an eyebrow. He looks awfully cute for a moment as he thinks. “You’re gunning for the job?”

“That’s the plan. It’s a bit of a long shot...school district isn’t huge but there are a lot of teachers ahead of me, and always the possibility they’ll hire from outside.” He scratches his beard. He’d been one of the outside hires, due to a small hiring pool in the area, so his chances aren’t terrible, just not  _ great. _ “I hope you understand why I don’t want to start dating a student’s dad right now.”

“Dating?”

Gabriel glances at Jack from the corner of his eyes. He looks awfully pleased about the word, despite the rejection. “That’s what you wanted, isn’t it?”

Jack shrugs a little, doesn’t answer.

“So, yeah. I don’t want any distractions that can jeopardize my chances. It’s not personal.” He offers a smile. “Hope we can be friends, though. I like your company.”

“Nah. I understand. Really.” Jack’s smile is warm, infectious, and he can’t help but give one in return. “I’m cool with being friends. Nice knowing I’m not the only single dad in town, anyway.”

“There are a few of us. We meet for coffee the last Friday of every month.”

Jack blinks. “Really?”

“Would I lie to you?”

“Alright.” Jack moves. Gabriel steps away from the truck so Jack can swing his legs down over the edge of the hood. “Should be getting Emily home. Thanks for talking with me. Appreciate it.”

“Sorry about my answer.”

“No. Don’t be.” Jack’s hand moves over his shoulder. “Friendship isn’t a consolation prize.”

Gabriel can’t hold back on a laugh. Jack thumps his hand on his back before stepping away to pull open the passenger door.

“So. You wanted to make plans?”

“Oh?”

“It’s October. Prime season for taking a kid Emily’s age out. I know all the good spots around town.” He pauses, searches Jack’s confused expression. “You know. Halloween?”

Jack gives a nod, brightens. “Let me get you my number.”

He ducks inside the cab and scrawls it out on a piece of scrap paper. Gabriel reads over it as Jack calls for Emily and drives off with the stereo too loud. 


	6. Chapter 6

_- I hope you never lose your sense of wonder -_

“Daddy, I’m all done!”

Jack tears himself away from reading the back of a thriller. Emily has her arms full of books. None of them look like they’re meant for someone her age.

That’s just like her. Jack puts his book back and gets down on one knee. “Alright. Show me what you’ve got.”

“Frankenstein, Dracula, Carmilla—” Emily passes him the books one by one. “The Raven, Call of Cthulhu—”

“Okay. Back up. Pass those over.”

“But Daddy—”

“Emily, sweetheart, I don’t want you to have nightmares for the rest of your life.” She pouts, so he sweeps a hand over her brow, tucks her hair behind her ear. “Why don’t we try something like Goosebumps first?”

“Those aren’t scary.”

“Alright.” Jack hasn’t read half of them, but Frankenstein sounds okay. He gives it back to her. “You can read this one with me. Deal?”

She forgets about the stack of horror novels as they wait in line at the desk. Ingrid greets them warmly as she signs them up for a library card and checks them out. Emily is light on her feet as they leave.

It’s a nice day out. The sky’s an open, clean blue canvas, and the trees are just starting to turn gold. Jack gets an idea and spins around fast. “Hey, gingersnap. Wanna go apple picking?”

She’s more than amenable to the idea. Jack looks up a place on his phone. It’s a bit out of town, but it’s Sunday, and she’s done her homework, so there’s nothing to stop them.

They take an hour to fill a basket. Emily’s more interested in looking for bugs, but Jack doesn’t mind, lets her explore as he searches the trees for unblemished apples. He gives one a taste. They’ll be perfect for making apple pies or tarts.

“Hey. Have a bite.”

He tosses one to her. She frowns as she bites in. “Bleck.”

“Fruit’s good for you, Em.”

“Not everything good for you _tastes_ good.”

When they get home he gets right into it. Jack can’t remember the last time he felt focused enough to attempt proper baking, but it comes back fast as he makes dough from scratch and sits down with Emily at the table to peel apples. Bailey lays under their feet. He doesn’t say anything when he catches Emily giving her scraps.

He and Emily watch the first pie turn golden brown in the oven.

It’s a disappointment, to says the least. It looks good, but he’s missing something vital, and it just tastes like apple and dough, not the sweet, warm kind of apple pie his mom used to make.

The second pie is marginally better, but it’s not until the third is finished that both he and Emily agree that it’s a success.

Jack plops a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of each of their slices and ushers Emily into the living room. They curl up on the couch with Bailey and he puts on a movie.

Halfway through, both their plates empty and sitting on the coffee table, Emily flops over and lands on his shoulder with a sigh. “I wish Mom was here.” She burrows under his arm, nestling herself against his side like she used to when she was little. “I miss her.”

“I know, gingersnap. I miss her too.”

She stays quiet. That’s not a good sign.

“Do you want to call her? It’s still early.”

“No. I don’t wanna bug her.” Emily’s eyes flutter shut and she lets out a little sigh as she relaxes. Jack can’t imagine he’s that comfortable, but he’s missed this. He pulls the crochet blanket off the back of the couch and drapes it over his daughter. “Thanks, Daddy.”

“You know you’re never a bother, Em. She’d love to hear from you.”

Jack digs in his pocket for his phone, passes it over. He turns the TV down, but Emily shakes her head, pushes it away. “It’s not the same.”

He doesn’t know what to say, so he remains quiet.

A car passes in front of the house, headlights sweeping through the room. He cranes his neck. Looks like Gabriel’s car,  maybe, but there are a lot in town like it.

Emily nestles in against his side and closes her eyes again. Jack runs a hand through her hair.

“I miss her so much.”

“We’ll see her soon.””

“Christmas isn’t soon.” Emily sighs. “And then we’ll leave again.”

It’s a pretty punishing schedule. Jack can’t argue with that. “I know this is hard, Em.”

“It’s not fair.” Emily sniffles, rubs at her eye. She’s not much of a crier. Jack’s chest tightens. “I miss my old room and my friends and Mom making me pancakes for dinner and it’s not _fair_. Why did she have to leave? Why couldn’t I go with her?”

“You know she didn’t leave you behind.”

“Yes she did,” Emily huffs. She crawls out from under his arm and stands, rubbing her face with her sleeve. “Mom’s never been gone this long and I don’t have any friends and it’s not fair.”

“Emily, sweetheart, listen—”

He leans forward, holding out a hand, but Emily shakes her head, steps away. “I’m tired. I’m going to bed.”

Her door slams closed. Jack isn’t sure if he should follow, so he sits on the edge of the couch, lowers his face into his hands.

Not good enough. Not the same.

-

He brings it up during Monday morning supervision. “Emily gets along with other kids, right?”

Gabriel takes a moment to process the question. “Uh, yeah.”

“She has friends?”

Jack wrings his hands together. Gabriel’s face scrunches up as he thinks.

“I’m worried about her. She’s starting to get homesick. Last night we were talking and she mentioned she didn’t have any friends and…” Jack shuts himself up. He sounds like an idiot. He should know, right? She’s his kid, she lives in his house, she never stops talking about school. “We used to move around a lot. She never really had a chance before. I just...I’m worried she’s not trying because she thinks we’re just going to leave again.”

He holds Gabriel’s gaze. The man’s eyes soften.

“She’s still adjusting. A little patience might be all she needs.”

Gabriel is artfully avoiding the question. That tells him all he needs to know. “Yeah. I’ll try talking to her.”

“That’s usually a good start.”

“I just want her to be happy,” Jack says, “I feel like there’s more I could be doing.”

“Just keep trying. Sometimes that’s all we have.” Gabriel claps a hand down on his shoulder. “You still on for tonight?”

“Oh, yeah. Definitely. Did Jesse decide if he’s coming out?”

“I think he will.”

“Great. Looking forward to it.”

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” Gabriel grins as he steps away, lifting his coffee in lieu of a wave. “Pick us up at six. You know where we live.”

-

Jack drums his fingers on the steering wheel. He can see Gabriel moving around inside his house. Emily squeezes up against his side to play with the radio.

“I like this one,” she says, turning up the dial. “Do you know this band?”

“Everyone knows ABBA, sweetheart.”

The front door opens. Jesse comes out first. He hangs his head as he walks toward the truck and climbs into the back.

“Hey,” Jack says.

Jesse doesn’t say anything. Jack tries not to take it personally. Gabriel offers a polite hello as he joins his son. “Need directions?”

“I’ve got it.”

The drive out takes them past the apple picking orchard where he’d taken Emily that weekend. Jack understands why Gabriel wanted to take the truck when the paved road ends and becomes gravel marked by potholes. Crops grow on either side on the road, cut through by empty fields.

He barely spots the sign from the road. It’s a hand-painted piece of wood. “Looks like the place.”

The lot is packed with cars and the field is swarming with families, most of them with little kids. There’s a single booth set up, a bored-looking teenager sitting inside. The price for pick-your-own isn’t bad.

Emily runs off the moment he gets out of the truck. That’s just like her. He flashes Gabriel a smile. “Meet you out there?”

“You got it.”

He catches Emily before she can get her arms around a pumpkin that probably weighs as much as she does. “Hey, gingersnap, you gotta slow down for your old man.”

“You’re not _that_ old. Grandpa is old.” Emily tries to lift the pumpkin with a grunt. It doesn’t budge. “This year I’m carving the Ghostbusters so I need a big pumpkin.”

“That’s pretty ambitious, Emily.” Gabriel walks up with Jesse by his side, hands stuffed into his pockets.

“Go big or go home,” Emily says. She gives up on the pumpkin and stands straight to dust dirt off her jeans. “Last year I did a spaceship!”

“Oh?”

“That’s pretty cool,” Jesse mumbles. Gabriel glances at his kid, smiles, nudges his elbow. “What kind of spaceship, Red?”

“It had three ion thrusters and—”

“Three _what?_ ”

The kids walk off without even glancing back. Jack sighs, runs a hand over his shoulder. “Well. Shall we?”

This is clearly an affair for the Reyes family.

He’s given the task of carrying the pumpkins Jesse and Emily pick out back to the truck. Gabriel helps him with the ones he can barely lift. The kids don’t seem to care about the time or the long drive back and hike out into the far reaches of the field.

Emily waves at him as she and Jesse climb up on top of a pumpkin that definitely won’t fit in his truck. He slips his phone out of his sleeve and captures the moment.

Gabriel leans in to bump his shoulder. “Let me see that one.” He shows him his phone. Gabriel lights up. “Can hardly believe it. That’s a smile on my kid’s face.”

He hooks his arm around Jack’s neck and sticks his phone out at arm’s length.

It’s not enough warning. Gabriel’s smiling in the picture, but Jack’s glasses are askew and his mouth is open.

“Oh, God. Let me delete that.”

“Not a chance.” Gabriel dances away with the phone in his hands. “I’m immortalizing that one.”

Jack just lets out a huff. If it makes him happy, sure. Whatever. He gives Emily a little wave. She returns it with enthusiasm, but Jesse keeps his hands in his pockets.

Gabriel takes over photography until the sun starts to dip low and the temperature drops. Jack gives Emily his coat as they start the trek back across the field toward his truck.

“So, tell me, Jack. When you were on the farm back in Oklahoma—”

“Indiana.”

Gabriel grins. “You grow crops, or was it something like a dairy farm?”

“Good guess. Corn and soybeans. Uncle ran a dairy farm next town over.” He sticks out his tongue. Jesse glances back at them, looks at him funny. Jack straightens up, coughs to clear his throat. “We actually used to build corn mazes in the fall to bring in some extra money.”

“Shit. Really?”

“They’re less fun to build than they are to get lost in.”

“Let’s go next week. Other side of town. Remember last year, Jess?”

Jesse just grunts as he walks faster, putting distance between them. Emily doesn’t pick up on his sour mood and gives chase, the sleeves of his coat flapping behind her.

The bed of his truck is full. Jack feels tired just thinking of all the extra work he has to unload the orange monstrosities. He climbs up to check that they’re secure before sliding up onto the tailgate.

The sun bleeds orange over the hills. It’s a beautiful sight.

Emily pulls herself up on the tailgate next to him. Her little shoulders are shaking from the cold, so he wrangles her into a hug to warm her up. Jesse lingers a few feet away, his eye focused on Gabriel, who’s paying for their haul.

“Hey, Jesse.”

The kid flinches, just slightly enough he could have easily missed it. “Yeah?”

His mind goes blank under the kid’s stare. Jack forces a smile. He barely knows anything about him except that he’s fourteen. He doesn’t know how to talk to teenagers, but he clears his throat, gives it a try. “You, uh, like sports?”

Jesse’s eye turns cold. “Nah.”

“...Oh.”

So much for that.

The drive back seems to take ages. Gabriel sits in the front. He’s a better DJ than Emily, not that he’ll ever tell her. The kids get right back to chatting.

“So I’ve got a question.”

Gabriel has a smile on his lips but he’s focused ahead on the road. “Yeah?”

“What do you need _twelve_ pumpkins for?”

“I’m going to carve them. Surely you’ve partaken in that age-old Halloween tradition?” Gabriel shows his teeth as he laughs, shaking his head. “Every year I build a haunted house for the neighborhood. Requires a lot of decorations, okay?”

“Doesn’t that take a lot of time?”

Gabriel looks at him. Jack tries in vain to keep his eyes on the dark road.

“Might go faster if I have a little help.”

“Isn’t it still a little early to be planning Halloween?”

Gabriel lets out a gasp, presses a hand to his chest. “It’s only too early if it’s July.”

Jack backs into their driveway and gets out to unload Gabriel and Jesse’s haul. By the time he’s bidding them goodnight he’s almost too sore to lift his arm into a wave. Emily is conked out in the backseat, snoring softly.

He carries her in the door when they get home. It’s a school night, but it’s still relatively early, only nine. She wakes up when he tucks her into bed. “Goodnight, Daddy.”

“Goodnight, gingersnap.”

He turns off the light and gently shuts the door. Too early for him to sleep so he takes Bailey out into the yard and lights up a smoke. It’s a nice clear night and the stars are sharp overhead.

Jack flips through his phone, hammers out a few replies to Vanessa from earlier in the day. Just the usual check-ups.

He opens his photo album and flips through evidence of their outing. The picture of Emily and Jesse is a winner. He’ll have to frame it and put it up above the couch with the rest of his favorites.

The photo of him and Gabriel won’t go on the wall, but it’s charming in its own way, despite the blur and Gabriel’s thumb obscuring one of the corners. It’s genuine.

A message scrolls across his screen. Gabriel.

**Thanks for driving us out today. Tomorrow’s coffees are on me. How do you take yours?**

Jack sticks his cigarette between his teeth and types with both thumbs. **Black with a double shot of espresso ☕**

**You’ve been drinking jet fuel this whole time?**

**I’m a pilot ✈️ part of the job**

**See you tomorrow. Sleep well, Captain.**

Jack lets out a sigh as he sets his phone down. He watches the stars until his cigarette is a stub.

He sleeps soundly that night.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I uploaded Chap 7 back in December and noticed afterward that my use of emojis had cut the fic in two. So this is the actual full chapter, minus the emojis. Ah well, cute while it lasted.

_\- Take me out of this state I'm in, go somewhere I've never been -_

In the span of a week his house is almost unrecognizable. Boxes of decorations accumulated over the years cover the dining room table. Cobwebs and string lights spill out across the floor. He hasn’t had proper time to decorate, not with his new morning shift, not with staying late to polish lesson plans and prime his resume.

Jesse doesn’t seem to mind the mess much, but he jumps at the chance to get out of the house and head into Napa.

They leave on Friday night after school, just the two of them. Gabriel had extended an invitation to Jack and his daughter, but he’d politely declined. He doesn’t mind much. With morning supervision he’s seen a lot of him.

Right now, he’s excited to spend the weekend at an amusement park with his kid.

The drive is long and boring and peppered with enough stops that they end up an hour late and head straight for a nice steakhouse with a view of the Napa River. Jesse opens up as they eat, talks about his after school clubs, his study sessions with Brigitte. He’s enjoying photography club and is thinking about trying out for the school paper next year.

He’s more lively than he’s been in months. He can’t figure where the change has come from. Maybe it’s just due in part to his age.

Back at the hotel, Jesse sits down to flip through channels as Gabriel sets out his costume for Fright Fest.

“You’re really gonna dress up?” Jesse curls his lip, eyeing his cloak skeptically. “Reyes, c’mon.”

“It’s Halloween.”

“It’s October 6th.”

“Exactly!”

Jesse rolls his eyes as he flops back onto this bed. “It’s embarrasin’.”

“Don’t pretend you don’t love Halloween.”

“I mean, sure. The parties are fun.” Jesse sets the remote down, leaving the TV on the weather channel. Gonna start getting cold early, by the looks of it. Great. “But c’mon, we don’t have to dress up and make fools of ourselves.”

“Lot of people dress up for Fright Fest.”

“Yeah. The people who work there, maybe,” Jesse snaps. “Can’t it wait?”

Gabriel’s stomach drops. He forces a smile as he folds up the cloak and throws it back in his suitcase. “It’s a parent’s national pastime to embarrass their kids, you know.”

Jesse looks at him funny, but his response is slow, careful. “Last thing I need is to be made fun of.”

Gabriel moves his suitcase off the bed. He stands in the middle of the room, strokes his beard. Jesse’s focused on the TV again, but his expression is hard. He’s thinking about something else.

He doesn’t like to push, but his gut tells him to.

“Are you having problems in school, Jess?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“No, but—”

“School’s fine,” Jesse grunts. “Not that you’d care.”

“Hey. Hang on. What makes you think I don’t care?”

“You never ask, for starters.” Jesse pulls his phone out and slips off the bed, shoulders hunched. He’s watching Gabriel warily. He knows that look and sits down, tries to make himself look relaxed.

“Jesse. I care. I do.”

“You ain’t gotta pretend, Reyes. It’s fine.”

“Jesse—”

He moves into the bathroom and closes the door firmly. Gabriel runs a hand through his curls, squeezes his eyes shut.

Damn it. _Damn it._

He breathes in deeply. He won’t get mad. That gets nothing done.

Jesse clearly isn’t coming out anytime soon, so he pulls out his phone. Ana will be asleep, so he messages Jack instead.

**What are you and Red up to tonight?**

He gets up and paces the room. He has to do something, so he grabs the ice bucket and tells Jesse that he’ll be right back. The vending machines are on the other side of the hotel.

Gabriel buys a few chocolate bars. Fuck it. His phone dings.

**Little bit of light reading. Emily’s asleep.**

A moment later he gets a picture message. It takes almost a minute to load. Service isn’t great.

Jack’s curled up in bed with a book, his glasses perched on the end of his nose. It’s a little blurry and the angle isn’t the most flattering but he can’t stop from smiling as he holds his phone out and snaps a pic of him posing with the ice bucket.

He waits for a response. His smile fades fast.

Swallowing, he sends his thoughts Jack’s way. **Think my kid is mad at me.**

He waits. No response. Gabriel slips his phone into his pocket and makes his way back down the dimly lit hall. Jesse hasn’t locked him out, which is a good sign, but the bathroom door is still firmly closed. He can hear the swoosh and ping of his phone. Probably doing exactly what he is, texting Brigitte or another friend from school.

**He’s mad at you for taking him to Six Flags?**

**Little more complicated than that.**

**You need a shoulder to lean on, just say the word. Drinks are on me.**

**I’ll take you up on that when I get back.**

He sets the phone down on the nightstand and watches the weather channel until Jesse finally comes out, hanging his head. He notices the chocolate bars sitting by the TV right away and cuts his eyes at Gabriel.

“Got them for you.”

“Bribing me with candy, I see.”

“You wanna talk, kid?”

Jesse sighs as he sits down on the edge of his bed. He flips off his hat and musses a hand through his hair, makes an exaggerated shrug. “Yeah. I’m sorry, Reyes. Shouldn’t have snapped at ya. I know you care, I’m just…”

“You can talk to me. You know that, Jesse.”

“Yeah. I know.” Jesse slumps over, bites his lip. “I’m dreaming again.”

Gabriel’s blood goes cold. He sits up fast, resists the urge to leap off the bed and pull Jesse into a hug. “How long?”

“Few weeks now.”

“You never said anything.” Gabriel can’t shut himself up, keeps talking, even as Jesse shrinks. “Have you talked to your therapist? Brigitte? Anyone? Jesse—”

“I’m okay. Really, Reyes.” Jesse looks hollow when he lifts his head. “They’re just dreams. They ain’t real. I know I’m safe now.”

He knows how those dreams can feel real, how they can warp your perception of what _safe_ can feel like. He moves off the bed and sits beside Jesse, still leaving him ample room. “God, Jesse. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

Jesse lets out a hollow laugh, bumps their shoulders. “Should’ve told you. I know that. But I thought they’d go away.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

Jesse is still and silent for a long moment. With a sharp breath, he moves to pull Gabriel into a hug, clinging tightly to his chest. Gabriel is hesitant to return the gesture, knowing how he doesn’t always like it, but when Jesse lets out a dry sob he winds his arms around his son.

“I’m here,” Gabriel says, “I’m here, Jess.”

“I know. I know.” Jesse clings a little tighter, chokes on a sob. He’s trying so hard not to cry that he’s shaking. “It’s stupid.”

“It’s not stupid.”

Jesse pulls back, inhales shakily as he wipes his nose. “I thought I was doin’ real good.”

“We all have our rough patches. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

Jesse rubs his eyes with both hands as he moves away, putting healthy distance between them. “Do you still get them, too?”

“Yeah. I do.” Gabriel leans over to gently touch Jesse’s shoulder. “Hey. How about I get you some of that terrible vending machine hot chocolate and we talk it out?”

Jesse’s smile wavers, but it’s genuine. “Sounds good, Reyes.”

-

By the time they finally go to bed, long after midnight, Gabriel sleeps soundly.

His alarm rudely wakes him at seven. He grumbles as he hits his phone and carries it into the washroom.

There are a few missed messages, most of them from Ana, a few from Torbjörn. He replies as he brushes his teeth.

The last one is from Jack, sent just a few minutes ago. He’s not sure how he missed the chime.

**Good morning. Everything OK?**

He sets his phone back down. Jesse’s up and rooting around in the room. He sticks his head out the door. “Morning, kid.”

“Mornin’.”

He takes his time in the shower. He doesn’t usually stay up so late, but Jesse doesn’t usually open up. There’s no regret to be had.

They hadn’t talked like that for months.

He tries not to focus on that as he dries off and moves on to the task of trimming his beard. Jesse’s not the most open book. He’s always known that. The kid has a good heart, but it’s hard to trust when you’ve been hurt like he has, by the people who were supposed to be there for him.

It’s Gabriel’s turn to look over him. He won’t take that responsibility lightly.

Over a continental breakfast they chat about school and teachers. Jesse seems like he’s in a good mood. Maybe he’s just looking forward to roller coasters. Maybe he just slept soundly.

When they arrive that evening, Jesse lets out a low whistle. “Alright. How do you even decide what to do first?”

“You start at the back of the park and work forward. Best way to skip the lines.” He glances around. It’s early, and the parking lot is almost empty. “Though I guess that’s mainly for peak season.”

Jesse agrees to the idea anyway and they speed walk to the back of the park. The first ride looms before them, one of the park’s biggest coasters. Gabriel almost regrets eating breakfast as they pull down the harness to lock themselves in.

Jesse wiggles next to him. “Ain’t never been on one this big,” he says, voice tinted by nerves. “You?”

“Was a thrillseeker back in my day, kid.”

“That’s hard to believe.”

“Smartass.”

Five roller coasters in Gabriel’s sure he’s bound to lose his voice from all the screaming. They take a break when Jesse spies midway booths. He wins a stuffed polar bear to cart around, which he soons pawns off on Gabriel.

“This is why midway comes last,” he groans, “Now we gotta babysit.”

Dinner is loaded fries and nachos. Perfect food for a fourteen year old kid.

He’s tuckered out long before night falls. Park staff manage to get a few good scares in at his expense, but it’s making his kid laugh, so Gabriel just sighs and hugs Ice Cube tighter as they make their late-night rounds of the park.

After wandering through haunted houses and taking a few shots at the drop tower, Jesse angles back toward the midway. Gabriel’s stomach settles at the idea of a break. He’s starting to think he’s a little too old for theme parks, or getting there, anyway. Almost forty, almost over the hill.

Jesse picks skeeball. Gabriel rubs his hands together. He can handle this.

“You know, back when I was your age—”

“Few hundred years ago?”

Gabriel snorts. “No internet, no cell phones. Couldn’t drive. Spent a lot of time at the mall or at the arcade or at the beach.” He tosses the ball, almost fumbles it. Embarrassing. “I was reigning skeeball champ among my friends.”

“Surprised you had any of those,” Jesse teases.

“Come on. Be nice to your old man. Especially since he’s about to kick your ass.”

“Game on.”

He only loses by a few thousand points. Jesse grins at him over a massive pile of tickets. “You were saying, Reyes?”

“Don’t rub salt in the wound. I’m rusty.”

“Sure.”

Jesse picks out a few more friends for Ice Cube and shoves them all at Gabriel.

He takes time to spend the rest of his tickets, inspecting everything in the cases and up on the walls. When Gabriel asks what he’s doing, he just grunts and says, “Promised Brigitte I’d bring her something back.”

“That’s nice of you, kid.”

“I mean, she _is_ my best friend,” Jesse mutters. “People usually do nice things for their friends.”

Gabriel still has tickets left over. He scans the prizes. “That’s true.”

He trades a fistful for a tiny plastic model aircraft and tucks it into his back pocket. “Ready to get back to it?”

“Ready.”

-

Jesse’s hungry again after they get back to the hotel that night, so they order pizza and put on a terrible made-for-TV movie. Jesse’s winnings sit around him in a circle. The best find is a skateboard.

“So. Verdict?”

“We can do this every year, right?” Jesse chews on a slice and talks with his mouth full. “We should see San Francisco one of these days, too.”

Gabriel nods. “You got it.”

He’s reluctant to wake up on Sunday, dreading the drive back. Over breakfast he checks his phone.

He’d forgotten to message Jack back. It’s early, but Jack will be up. **Things turned around. Now I don’t want to come back.**

Jesse stares at him over his bowl of cereal. “Who’s that?”

“Mr. Morrison.”

His kid squints at him as he shovels food into his mouth. “Ah.”

“That allowed?”

“Are you and him, like…” Jesse frowns as he turns away for his phone, dropping the question before he even finishes it. Gabriel breathes out relief. Last thing he wants is to be interrogated by his son about his love life.

**Glad things are looking up but please come back. Emily finally has a teacher she likes.**

**You can just say you miss me.**

He sets his phone down. He’s starving and he’s got work to do on the massive amount of food he’d shoved onto his plate. “Try the waffles,” he says as he takes a bite, “Sublime.”

“God, you’re such a dork.”

“Last chance, kid. Anything else you wanna do before we head home?”

Jesse shakes his head. “I’m all good. Thanks, Reyes, for taking me out here. Was real nice of you.”

“Big world out there. Hate for you to miss out.” Gabriel sticks more waffles in his mouth. They really are good. “I’ll take you to see the sights in L.A. over winter break.”

“Big city.”

He doesn’t say anything about how, in the next few years, depending on how things work out, that they might be moving back to his hometown. Always hard to take a kid in high school and move him. Jesse needs the stability.

The idea can wait. One step at a time.

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

-  _I'll be your lighthouse when you're lost at sea_

_I'll keep my light on, baby, you can always come to me -_

 

It’s the same song and dance as the night they went out for coffee. Jack spends far too long in the bathroom to get his hair just the right amount of messy, pops in contacts, checks his shave. He’s dressed in dark jeans and a red sweater. Simple, casual. It’s just a round of drinks. It’s definitely not a date. Gabriel’s made his intentions clear enough.

His gut churns. God, if it  _ were _ a date, he’d take Gabriel out to the pier, to that seafood restaurant he mentioned the first night they met. Crack open a bottle of merlot, walk down along the water afterward—

He gives his head a shake and smiles in the mirror, checking his teeth. Nothing is gonna happen. They’re just going out because Gabriel needs someone to talk to. That’s it. 

“Emily, sweetheart.” Jack hurries down the hall into the kitchen. She’s taking her time with dinner, poking her asparagus around on the plate. “Brigitte will be here soon. If you hear the door can you let her in?”

“Sure, Daddy.”

He tries not to speed walk back to the bathroom. Cologne would definitely be overkill, right? He elects to leave it be. He doesn’t have time to get changed again, anyway. He sweeps his phone off the counter.

Gabriel’s last message has his heart pounding.  **See you at nine, Captain.**

Jack wipes his mouth. He needs to calm the fuck down and  _ fast _ because it’s already eight thirty.

He almost runs over Brigitte on his way back to the kitchen. She dodges out of the way, lets out a nervous laugh. “Hey, Mr. Morrison. Sorry I’m a little late. Papa got talking and you know how that goes.”

“Ah, it’s okay. Thanks for sacrificing your Saturday night.” He smiles. It must look strained and awkward because the kid just looks at him funny. “Emily’s just had dinner but there are snacks in the cupboard, feel free to eat whatever you want. There’s some soda in the fridge, too. Emergency numbers are on the calendar, and…” he works over his mental checklist. “I should be back by eleven at the latest. I’m sure I’ll be back earlier, though. I’ll call if anything comes up.” He throws on his leather coat and bends down to pet Buddy goodbye. “No scary movies. Don’t let Emily bribe you.”

Emily giggles from the couch.

Brigitte just nods. “You got it, Mr. Morrison.”

“She goes to bed at ten on weekends.” Jack straightens his collar, pulls his keys off the hook. “Any questions?”

“Think I’ve got it. Enjoy your date.”

He freezes in the doorway. Emily pulls herself up on the arm of the couch, looking far too interested.

“Ah. Not a date.” Jack tries to smile to diffuse the way they’re both watching him, like they know something he doesn’t. He’s an easy book to read and he knows it but he won’t add fuel to the fire. “Take care, you two.”

He crosses the room to give Emily a kiss on the forehead before finally closing the door.

The bar is so far away. Jack groans as he wipes a hand down his face. At this rate he’s not gonna see morning.

He almost gets in his truck before he thinks better of it and starts walking. It’s a nice night out, a little cool, the sky mottled with clouds. He plays with his keys in his pocket to quell some of his nerves. Not a date. Not a date. Not a date. He needs to get a fucking  _ grip _ .

When he walks through the door, music hits him hard. Tonight, it’s Queen. That relaxes him a little. The bar is a little busier than usual for  _ Barracuda. _ A group laughs around a pool table. A few men are sharing loaded nachos in one of the booths. He’s a little early. Gabriel isn’t there yet.

Jack settles in at the bar and orders an Irish coffee. He needs the extra caffeine kick in the ass.

“Jack! Ah, there you are! Come join us!”

Jack’s stomach flips. He spins fast on the bar stool, blinking at the sight. Reinhardt and Torbjörn, both nestled at a table at the back of the bar. Reinhardt’s grin is massive and genuine and he’s  _ waving _ so there’s no dodging them at this point. Getting up, he smooths a hand over his jacket before walking over. “Uh, hey. Didn’t know this was your haunt.”

“Our usual place kicked us out,” Torbjörn grumbles, “Claimed to have a kitchen fire.”

“Claimed?”

Torbjörn turns away to sip his beer. Reinhardt laughs, pulling out the chair next to him. “Sit, my friend! Drink with us!”

“I was actually supposed to meet someone—”

“Sit!” Reinhardt thumbs the back of the chair with a giant hand.

“Well. I can sit with you until they get here.”

“What’s the matter, Morrison? Hot date?” Torbjörn winks, waggles a brow. Gut churning, he just hangs his head, lets out a sigh. Same song and dance.

“I wish,” he mutters, “No, I’m meeting Gabriel.”

Reinhardt perks up. “Ah, it would be lovely to see him! We rarely get to talk outside the school halls.”

“Well—”

Jack’s glad he’s already sitting when Gabriel walks in the door, because his knees definitely would have given out. Gabriel’s eye goes right to the bar, expression crumbling. 

“Over here!” Reinhardt bellows, “Come join us, friend!”

Time seems to slow as Gabriel turns, confusion washing over his face before it clicks. He rocks back on his heels before walking over to join them. “Hey. Didn’t expect to see you two here.”

“Don’t look so disappointed,” Torbjörn chuckles.

Reinhardt shoots him a glare. “Be nice.”

“I’m always nice.”

Gabriel’s smile is wan, but his eyes crinkle behind his glasses. “Don’t lie right to his face like that, Torb.”

Torbjörn huffs, crosses his arms over his chest. “What brings you two out tonight?”

Reinhardt and Torbjörn exchange a not-so-subtle look. Gabriel catches it too, his eyebrows arching. He manages to compose himself better than Jack can.

The implication can be dangerous. Jack’s not out to either of them, and he’s not sure about Gabriel, so he leans back, spreads his legs, hooks an arm over the back of the chair. “We were just meeting up for a couple beers to watch the game.”

He nods toward the only TV in the bar, which is in the middle of a curling match.

Reinhardt leans forward on his elbows. “Curling?”

“Yeah.” Jack puffs out his chest a bit. “Take a drink every time the, uh, rock, hits...another rock…”

Gabriel tips his head, taps his fingers on the table. He’s wearing an expression Jack can’t properly read. “Right.”

The rocks clink together. He lifts his coffee and proves his point by taking a sip. “Yep. That’s the game.”

“Curling is one of my favorite sports.” Reinhardt winks at Torbjörn. That’s...some kind of straight man code. Has to be. “What do you think about U.S.A.’s performance so far this season?”

Damn it. God fucking  _ damn it _ . The only full curling match he’d ever watched was his father’s old timer’s league. “Good,” he grumbles, taking a deep drink of his coffee. God, he wishes it had more whiskey in it. He sneaks a glance at the TV. He can’t even tell what teams are playing. “More of a football man myself, though.” There’s his save. He’s from Indiana, he couldn’t have avoided learning about football if he’d tried. “Who’s your team?”

As Torbjörn and Reinhardt fire off into an argument over the Patriots versus the Ravens, he shoots Gabriel a smile. Gabriel just looks confused for the most part.

“Excuse us a moment,” Gabriel says smoothly, “I need a drink and so does my friend.”

Before they even get to the bar Gabriel rounds on him and touches the back of his hand to his forehead. “You okay? You running a fever?”

“Excuse me?”

“ _ Curling? _ ” Gabriel scoffs as he pulls his hand away. He orders two drinks and shoves Jack’s into his chest. “Why are you lying to them, Jack? They’re our friends.”

“What, you didn’t catch that look?” Jack feels his skin flush hot.  _ Fuck _ . He refuses to get mad, not over this, but Torbjörn and Reinhardt are watching them from across the bar and his skin crawls. 

“What look?”

“They were looking at us like they  _ knew _ and—”

“Wait a second. Hang on.” Gabriel moves away, straightens, his lips finally curving up in a slight smile. “So you were trying real hard to be straight back there.”

“You think they caught on?”

“Of course they caught on.” Gabriel snorts, rolls his eyes. “Curling, Jack? Really?”

“I—” His mouth has gone dry and Jack feels prone and useless so he sips his glass of whiskey and pointedly avoids Gabriel’s warm brown eyes. 

“Relax. I thought you were out?”

“Well...I was. Back in Boston.”

“Oh.” Gabriel’s features soften. He thumps Jack on the shoulder. Maybe it’s supposed to be reassuring, but the contact hits him like lightning. “You don’t have to pretend around them, okay? They’re good people.”

“Yeah. They are.”

“You don’t have to say a word if you don’t want to. The world can think Jack Morrison is a straight man.” Gabriel can barely keep a straight face himself, his lips curling up into a smile. “They know about me, by the way. So you don’t have to worry for a second.”

“I was. Worried, I mean.” Jack sips his drink. His anxiety is melting away fast, and now he just feels flushed and embarrassed. His own damn fault, as usual. “I’ve been trying to get a read on this town but...the night we met…” he trails off as Gabriel’s face falls. Better to leave it, so he sips his whiskey, forces a grin, talks over himself. “You needed to talk.”

Gabriel gestures to the bar. Jack nods and follows without thinking to sit on a barstool beside him. The only free spots are in the corner beside the wall. Their legs bump together. Not enough space for two men over six feet tall.

This close, Jack can feel the heat radiating off him, can smell his aftershave. He focuses hard on his drink, keeps his eyes on the polished glasses behind the bar. It’s never this busy. Bad call on his part to come here, especially when there are dozens of much quieter spots in town.

Gabriel starts slow, picking over his words. He stares at his drink but doesn’t touch it. Sweat beads on the glass. “Teenagers are tough.”

Jack elects to remain quiet. He rubs a finger along the rim of his glass, thinking. Gabriel had been in a brighter mood Monday, but he knows how fast those can wane, knows how quickly kids can change their minds. 

Gabriel’s eyes are distant, cloudy. Jack wants to touch him, to offer reassurance that he’s here, that he’s listening, but he stays rooted on the barstool, refuses the impulse.

“I can’t figure out how much space I’m supposed to give him,” Gabriel says. He shifts on the stool. “Jesse’s a good kid, but he hates talking about it. And I get that. It’s hard as hell. It’s enough that he has three appointments a week.” He lifts his drink but just stares at it. “Sometimes he looks so tired, Jack.”

Gabriel rubs a hand over his head, fingers tangling in his curls. “He comes home some nights and he doesn’t eat dinner or say a thing to me, just sleeps. Like he’s always exhausted. And I don’t know if it’s his meds or just because he’s a teenager or…” He shakes his head. “I don’t want to push. I don’t want to make it worse, but some days he doesn’t think I care at all.”

Jack’s stomach twists. He moves closer, bumping shoulders, keeps his mouth shut. Gabriel needs to talk, doesn’t need to listen to empty platitudes from a man who doesn’t know shit about the situation.

“That’s where I’m stuck. How do I show him how much I care without pushing? Without making him uncomfortable? I need to respect his boundaries but I’m doing something wrong and I can’t figure out what.” 

At last, Gabriel touches his drink. He downs it in one go and motions to the bartender for another.

“Have you talked to anyone about this before?”

“About my failure to be a good father? No.” Gabriel rubs his temple, heaves a sigh. He’s tense and strained and more than anything else Jack wants to hold him, because he can’t think of a damn thing to say that might be useful. “Who am I kidding. He still calls me Reyes.”

Jack’s heart skips a beat. Ouch. “Gabriel, I have a thought.”

“Go ahead. Impart your wisdom.” 

That’s a touch sarcastic, but Jack ignores the sting. “You think he’s doing the same thing you are?”

“What?”

“Giving you space.” Jack searches Gabriel’s face. He just looks annoyed. “Trying to be respectful.”

Gabriel just stares at him. Jack has nothing to offer but anecdotal advice. He’s not exactly a gold-star father, himself.

“I called my father John my whole life,” he says. He knows it’s rude to ask what Jesse’s situation was before his adoption, so he keeps his mouth shut. He can make guesses. He won’t intrude. “You know. Maybe we should both be asking a different dad for advice.”

Gabriel lifts an eyebrow. “Torbjörn.”

“I’m really sorry, Gabriel. I know you needed someone to talk to, but…” But he’s not the man for the job, plain and simple. “I feel useless here.”

“You’re not useless.” Gabriel cracks a relieved smile. “You’re a good drinking buddy.”

“Glad to know I’ve got one thing going for me.”

Gabriel glances back over at the table. Torbjörn and Reinhardt are laughing uproariously at something, but he has no idea what. 

“Alright. I’m gonna do it.”

“What?”

“I’m gonna ask the man for advice, like you said.” Gabriel lifts his glass. “We’re gonna be here all night.”

“ _ We _ ?”

“I’m not about to suffer this alone.”

-

Torbjörn takes the matter very seriously. He doesn’t allow Gabriel to expand on his question until they’ve all finished their drinks and ordered another round. Jack sips his, eyes on Gabriel, who’s looking more uncomfortable by the second. Reinhardt is quiet and somber for a turn, sitting with his chin resting on folded hands. 

“I’m ready,” Torbjörn finally declares, “Speak.”

The floodgates open. Gabriel repeats his story, but leaves it bare bones, just the facts. Torbjörn listens intently, nodding along, his eyes gleaming and distant as he mulls it over.

After Gabriel finishes his words sit. Torbjörn strokes his beard thoughtfully. 

“It’s not easy. Never was part of the job description.” Torbjörn chuckles, sips his beer, leans back in his chair. He looks relaxed, at ease, like he’s had this exact conversation hundreds of time. For all Jack knows, maybe he has. “You’re a good man, Gabriel. You have a big heart. Compassion is what the kid needs, over all else. The tricky part is knowing what form that compassion should take.”

Gabriel’s brow furrows. “That’s where I’m stuck.”

“It’s always complicated, Gabriel. That’s important to remember. You’ve got to know when to push and when to fall back. It’s never easy and you’re going to mess up and when it happens you need to forgive yourself.” 

He goes quiet. The music changes over and cheers wash over them as Pat Benatar steals the spotlight. Gabriel rubs his eyes. He looks exhausted all of a sudden, like Torbjörn’s words punched all the energy out of him.

He gets up without a word and beelines for the bar. Jack gets up without thinking, jumps when Reinhardt puts his massive hand on his shoulder.

“Where are you going, friend?”

“I think it’s about time I head home,” he says. “Thanks for a good night. I hope we can do this again.”

“Of course, my friend!” Reinhardt cracks a wide smile. Torbjörn mumbles goodbye as he leaves the table.

He catches Gabriel before he can order another drink. Jack reaches out for his wrist, lets his hand sit even as Gabriel turns to stare at him.

“You okay?”

“Fine,” Gabriel mutters. His eyes flicker away. “Yeah. I’m okay.”

“It’s pretty late.” Past eleven now. Brigitte might not be happy with him when he gets home. “Walk with me?”

Gabriel just gives a nod. Jack takes hold of his arm when Gabriel sways on his feet.

The cool air outside seems to sober Gabriel up a little bit, and his swerving path straightens out before they hit main street. When he moves to pull his hand away, Gabriel locks it into place with his free hand, latching onto his arm.

The contact buzzes under his skin. Jack tries not to focus on it.

It feels nothing like the night they’d met. That night was just nerves barely soothed by a smoke. Tonight he feels present even though he’s a little drunk, and everything feels solid and real. Gabriel’s grip grounds him. He listens to the whine of passing cars and to the wind shaking the trees and Gabriel’s breathing and the sound of their footsteps. There’s nothing else.

“You know, I was terrified the day I filled out the application.” Gabriel leans against his shoulder, his warmth bleeding into him. His voice rattles as he continues, like he’s so tired from speaking that his throat hurts. “Just a stupid piece of paperwork and my heart was beating so hard I thought I was gonna pass out.”

They stop at the end of Gabriel’s driveway. His house is dark, the street empty. 

“I almost didn’t send it in, afterward. I knew my chances were shit at getting cleared but it didn’t matter, because there was always that  _ what if _ , and…” He trails off, goes cold. Gabriel’s grip on his arm loosens, but he doesn’t pull away. “I wasn’t sure I could do it on my own. Some days I’m still not sure. But I love my son, Jack. I have to do better.”

Gabriel’s eyes fall away as he lets go of Jack’s arm. “Thanks for tonight. And for walking me home.”

“Always here, Gabriel. I wish I could do more for you.”

“You’ve done more than you know.” Gabriel’s voice goes soft, just for a moment. He smiles as he straightens, glancing toward the house. He leans back against his parked van, tips his head up toward the sky. His eyes gleam with the reflection of stars. 

Jack fights to breathe. The dim light sweeps over the bridge of his nose, curves over his cheekbones. Everything about the man is soft, still, and warm. Finally, he smiles. Jack almost melts on the spot.

“Goodnight, Jack.”

“Goodnight, angel.”

Gabriel’s smile grows. Realization hits too slowly for him to recover, so he just allows the slip of the tongue, pulls his eyes away. He doesn’t say anything about it, just offers a slight wave and walks up to the door. Jack doesn’t breathe until it closes behind him.

He gives his head a shake as he starts home, but he can’t stop smiling.

**Author's Note:**

> It's what it says on the can - Dad AU.
> 
> Listen, I'm trans, I like dudes, I like writing, this is really self indulgent and I'll admit that.  
> Huge thanks to [asthmaticjedi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/asthmaticjedi/pseuds/asthmaticjedi) for her help beta reading & brainstorming, as well as massive thanks to everyone in the dailyr76 discord for your support, I love you all ♥
> 
> I'd also like to extend thanks to apostapal for writing [Superhero Lifestyles](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10946970/chapters/24361050) just because I really love that fic and it helped inspire me to get off my butt and finally write the Dad AU I've been daydreaming about for over a year. (Fly, I love you)
> 
> Updates every Monday and Friday, and might update additionally during the week.
> 
> [Tumblr](https://skiesovertatooine.tumblr.com/)


End file.
